Over adidas’s iconic history, almost 70-year history, we have seen the release of countless styles from the brand from the Gazelle (a fave of Kate Moss in the 90s) to the Stan Smith and Samba. Spotlighting one of its classic running shoe styles – the ZX – the footwear label is releasing a new book entitled ZX – The Roots of Running. 

“There have been various ‘families’ of shoes throughout the history of adidas, but for me, there is nothing to top the ZX series,” explains adidas collector and curator of adidas Spezial Gary Aspden. “(Especially) when it comes to the overall vision and ambition, consistency in design language, and groundbreaking performance credentials.” With its first iteration being released in 1984, the ZX series has been reimagined countless times – with each version until 1990 photographed and studied in detail for the new book.

In addition to the styles included in the book, there are additional ones that feature in an exhibition dedicated to the ZX opening in London tomorrow. After a long process liaising with sneaker collectors and experts around the world, as well as heading into the adidas archive, the team were able to curate a space featuring more than 300 different styles of the shoe – all on display until December 2 if you want to get a closer look. 

The adidas ZX Archive Exhibition is open from November 23 - December 2 at 21-21 Earlham Street, London, WC2H 9LL.