When adidas gave the go-ahead to proceed with a themed Oktoberfest collaboration, Crooked Tongue’s collective minds instinctively headed to the Cities Series for the München – a late ’70’s indoor training shoe design, that originally carried the vast PU cup sole akin to the mighty Trimm Trab. And while photographic evidence indicates the München may have had a brief career as a volleyball shoe of choice, like many of its contemporaries, cult status in the UK beckoned as a oft-envied piece of terrace, pub and casual wear in the early ’80s.
Given the Munich location of the famed booze-based festival it was a no-brainer, amplifying the undisputed connoisseur pub shoe status on UK shores back to its namesake and the granddaddy of all beer events. Seeing as it’s a shoe they’ve loved in dual-tone texture mixes before, they wanted to give it some similar elements, and in the knowledge that some conceptual pieces get lost in heavy-handed storytelling, in a nutshell; they saw images of some lederhosen, noted the unexpected mixes of colour amid the well-known traditional elements, decided it looked unexpectedly fresh and set about working it into the shoe.
Trying to make their mark without sullying the basic appeal, the soft tan leather and suede upper is complimented by red suede stripes, a forest green canvas heel tab, solitary gold eyelet, and darker brown suede lining. Beyond the colourway, materials are integral without making it too busy – conscious of its relevance to a particularly discerning consumer they were keen not to diminish the original appeal while making their mark. The gold Crooked lettering and trefoil on the heel, and embroidered tongue and footbed branding completes a collaborative classic for the Winter months. One also has got to love the “Crööked” branding on the side panels of the sneaker. Solid all the way!
Released on the 26th of September, exclusively through Crooked Tongues, and retailing at 60gbp, the adidas x Crooked Tongues ‘Oktoberfest’ München is limited to just 300 pairs. The sneakers are available now!
Have a more detailed look at the Crooked Tongues x adidas “Oktoberfest” München after the jump.
