Hybrid shoes? In. Laces? Out. That's the adidas method, anyway. As chunky sneakers find their footing in footwear limbo, beefy hybrids are popping off something fierce.

Enter: adidas' XLG Runner Mule. This shoe is exactly what it sounds like, a mule-ified version of adidas' extra-thick XLG sneaker.

Despite what its bouncy exterior might suggest, this sneaker was actually designed as a lifestyle shoe, and its mule-d up descendant is an extension of the shoe's casual ethos. 

But don't get it confused, this causal shoe still brings all the drama.

Here, adidas has taken the best parts of the gargantuan sneaker, like its crazy-cushioned outsole and mesh upper and merged it with a lace-free upper. But this isn't your everyday mule. Far from it. 

See, the adidas XLG is lowkey more cyborg than shoe, what with its overextended outsole and crater-esque indentations throughout. The XLG Runner Mule is not from this planet or even this timeline. 

Even the chrome lining and matching branding up the futuristic ante. It's a techy extraterrestrial masquerading as a mule.

For its more standard specs, the shoe is also absent a heel, priming it for easy slip-on wearability and a virtually hands-free experience. It's not lazy — it's innovative.

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