In years past, sneaker popularity extended to the worlds of tennis, basketball, and running. Occasionally there’d be an outlier, like a driving shoe or a football boot that would thrive for a minute. But now the floodgates are really open, and we’ve reached the world of martial arts footwear.

One these is the adidas CLOT QI FLOW By EDISON. It's a seriously striking silhouette, though we wouldn’t actually expect anything less from the design royalty that contributed to it.

For starters, any drop in collaboration with CLOT is basically treated to legendary status immediately at this point. The same goes for Edison Chen — the mind behind cult label ACRONYM — so when they’re both involved, you can be sure of something great.

The shoe is part of adidas’ ongoing celebrations for Chinese New Year, and the design nods to the country’s rich design heritage with touches like the frog fastening which replace laces.

The QI FLOW takes inspiration from the elegance and precision of Kung Fu. Mimicking the martial art’s traditional footwear, the design has a textile upper and sock liner combination as well as a lightweight woven midsole.

It drops alongside a host of other pieces that pay homage to Chinese heritage as we move into the year of the horse.

The world of sneakers is an expansive place. Really, there’s no end to the possibilities, and in recent years we’re really seeing how far footwear’s most creative thinkers can venture.

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