Nice Kicks: Structurally, the Rose 2.5 appears to be slimmer than its predecessors. What influenced that?
Robbie Fuller: If you look at the 1 to the 1.5 then the 2 to the 2.5, you can see the latter is more sleeked down than their predecessor. With the 2.5, we used some construction from the adiZero Crazy Light by stitching the plates to give it a nice, sleek fit and also cut ounces out of the shoe. Essentially, the big upgrade on the 2.5 is that it goes from being this luxury spike at the beginning of the season to the light spike going into the playoffs.
Nice Kicks: Much has been made of Derrick?s Speed Wrap ankle braces. How much do those influence the design and cut of the shoe?
Robbie Fuller: We?ve been pretty consistent with the shoes on coming up with a functional solution for fit and comfort around the ankle. Obviously, he wears the Speed Wrap so that?s the benefit that he uses. We wanted to give everyone that?s not locking down with an ankle brace a benefit. On this one, we went with the GEOFIT, which is more of a comfort/personalized fit solution.
Nice Kicks: Explain how miCoach works with the Rose 2.5.
Robbie Fuller: If you look at the Rose and the Dwight?s, we made them miCoach compatible. We?ve done a lot of work on getting that whole system up to speed. Right now, it?s really focused on running and the conditioning side, but we wanted to make sure that these basketball shoes are compatible. We wanted to make sure that you could do all your workouts in this new Rose shoe.
Nice Kicks: When we talked to Senior Innovation Director Christian DiBenedetto about the SPEED_CELL, there was some uncertainty as to whether or not the players would share their miCoach stats. Can we expect to see Derrick?s shared?
Robbie Fuller: Good question. It?s still in the works.
Nice Kicks: The new campaign from adidas is #LightDelivers. How does that play into the Rose 2.5?
Robbie Fuller: Light is the truth! When you pick up the shoe and put it on, you’re talking about weight on your body that you have to carry throughout the game. So, as little weight as possible means that you?ll be more efficient and a better player. The way this one delivers is by being 11 ounces. It?s his lightest signature shoe ever. It?s got all of the function and support built in. We even made the collar a little higher than the Rose 2 and put in some GEOFIT Foam around the ankle to conform to the athlete?s body.
Nice Kicks: Aesthetically, we?ve seen a lot of attention from the Originals side and the Jeremy Scott designs. Could we ever see any collaborations between Performance and Originals to be worn on court?
Robbie Fuller: For sure. It?s something we?ve talked about. It?s exciting, and it could get into a lot of cool places. The challenge is making sure you don?t mess up that balance of going too far onto the style side and really missing out on the function. There are a lot of things that you have to give up to get some of the looks that Jeremy Scott is able to achieve, like added weight. If we can figure out how to get those wings to actually work, then you?ll see them on Derrick?s feet.
Nice Kicks: Looking back, what are some of your favorite models from the adidas family?
Robbie Fuller: The Crazy Light for sure jumps out. That?s a mark for the industry. Bringing back the Crazy 8s was awesome. Just that whole era of Feet You Wear was so specific to adidas and so iconic. And then we always come with the classics: the Superstar, the Forum, and just reinterpreting those with new materials and colors that are on trend.
Nice Kicks: As a designer, do you get more reward from seeing your sneakers worn on court by the athletes or on foot and in store by the consumers?
Robbie Fuller: Probably with the consumer. It?s great watching SportsCenter and hearing [hums the theme song] and seeing Rose or Dwight on the Top 10, but it?s more of a personal victory sitting on the train and seeing a kid wearing red Crazy Lights, a pair of Rose shoes, or a running shoe I did back in the day. Those are the ones that give you a smile.
Nice Kicks: Moving forward, what can we expect next from Derrick Rose and adidas?
Robbie Fuller: This is just the beginning. The foreword was this is going to be about fast, which he tells every night on court. We?re going to continue to build his shoes with that balance of court to street, and in the future it?s not ‘can we beat the last shoe?’ but can we beat the next shoe.
The adidas adiZero Rose 2.5 is available now at Shop adidas.
