New Adidas Solarboost Blurs the Line Between Runners & Sneakers

Modern running shoes can be incredibly comfortable, but often failing to score too many points on the style side of things.

With the fashion-driven, fresh popularity of retro and modern running shoes, the ugly designs are making way for far sleeker silhouettes both new and old. The Adidas Solar Boost might be the best marriage of a running shoe with all the ergonomic function that a genuine running shoe needs, but that can be thrown on for aesthetics’ sake and still look every bit as good.

One of the common bits of feedback about the shoe from testers seems to be that it’s a lot lighter than it looks, and offers above average comfort both when breaking PBs as well as just taking a walk on the town. The tech to thank for that is likely the ‘tailored fibre placement’ as well as the Boost/EVA combined sole.

‘Tailored Fibre Placement’ is effectively a very refined method of stitching and upper construction that supports the wearer’s foot, and is likely a big factor in the superior comfort of the Solar Boost. Boost technology is now a staple in the running community, being Adidas’ proprietary responsive cushioning technology. It’s combined with some EVA as well so that there’s some firmness to back up the softer Boost when doing hard miles.

In essence, this is supposed to be a high-performance running shoe that you can feel comfortable throwing on as something to try and win medals in, but that also has a design that’ll work just as well with jeans and a t-shirt over the weekend. If you want one shoe that’s applicable for both occasions – the Solar Boost is definitely an option that deserves some attention.

They’re available from the first of June 2018 from Adidas’ website, Adidas Concept Stores, and Totalsports from R2,299.