Till Jagla may not be a household name amongst sneakerheads, but his impact on the culture has elevated the game and carried adidas over the threshold of personalization with the launch of the #miZXFLUX app. With the ZX Flux silhouette taking the brand to higher heights, it may be hard to believe that this is only just the beginning. Excited about the recent happenings, we caught up with adidas’ Category Director to discuss the inspiration behind the app, what sneakerheads can expect, and what this new interactive approach means to the Trefoil brand.
Nice Kicks: What was the inspiration behind the app?
Till Jagla: We actually relaunched the entire customization approach and it was kind of expected that we clean up the range for some key franchises like Stan Smith, ZX Flux, and Superstar 80s. We also wanted to add a really innovative idea to underline our focus at that point. We launched the ZX Flux in Berlin, as a new silhouette, and the photo print executions received the best feedback. Then we sat together and thought that it would be pretty cool if everybody could create their own photo print shoes. Then the entire thing started.
Nice Kicks: When did work on the app come to fruition and how long did it take to complete?
Till Jagla: We had the idea in January. We kicked it off in March and launched it in August in 52 countries, and now we are rolling out the purchase function.
Nice Kicks: What can sneakerheads expect from using the app?
Till Jagla: This is just a blank canvas now. So sneakerheads can create their own OG versions and any kind of camouflage, pattern, graphic, or comic so you can bring whatever you want on to the shoe. Everybody should define it by themselves.
Nice Kicks: Did the custom sneaker scene have any influence on the development of this app? If so, to what degree?
Till Jagla: Sure. We looked into the entire customization thing last December. We do think that a brand like adidas needed to have a custom product. We wanted to do it differently than everybody else. So we asked a lot of people, we talked to our network and told them about our ideas and everybody was so into it right from the get go. I do think that the sneaker scene and the sneaker game really influenced us to create the app because we wanted to create something really unique and special and give it to the people.
Nice Kicks: What does the launching of this app mean for the adidas brand? Is this just a stepping stone towards more of an interactive approach with consumers?
Till Jagla: For us it’s a new perspective on how we interact with our consumers out there. For adidas, it means a lot. It means a lot because internally we created some plans based on the app and key learnings on how we should use it in the future. At the end of the day, it’s just the beginning, it’s just a new way to create custom made sneakers. It was key for us to create a tool to empower people to create the most personal shoe for themselves. For adidas, it’s a new chapter and we will bring it to a new level for sure.
adidas Category Director Till JaglaTo customize your very own pair of ZX Flux, Android users can click here while Apple users can download the app here.
