Aaron Hope 
Solebox stands alone as the most prolific collaborator in 2009. Their Reebok ERS 2000 started things early with its February release, only to be totally overshadowed by the Billie Jean-evoking lightup Puma R698s. They brought us a Old Skool from Vans Vault in late spring that threw a houndstooth twist on Vans’ cherished checkerboard pattern and a month later got up with Hypebeast and adidas on the Zeitfrei ‘Complete Ride’ collection. Hikmet must really like the three stripes, cos after the Zeitfrei and a Consortium release of their Rod Laver, we see another co-branded effort from Germany’s top sneaker boutique and the Trifoil brand.
The Solebox x adidas Berlin takes a shoe perfectly named for its designer and cranks the dial up on ‘crispness’. They go with a dark navy blue upper that combines leather and woven nylon. It’s a natural match with the baby blue that comes in on the tongues and sockliner, so laces in either colour look great. Both pairs of laces have gold tips, a shine replicated on the foil-printed outer side panels. The left reads ‘solebox’, the right ‘Berlin’, and that’s where you can cop these gumsoled beatuies come October 17th.
