The first time I saw a pair of Adidas Climacool I thought they were just another modern design oddity. Then I realized I was looking at the future of footwear.
These shoes, entirely created through 3D printing, will soon be in stores around the world. Their lattice structure is not simply an aesthetic whim: it allows the shoe to “breathe” from every point, offering support and completely eliminating seams.
After more than a decade of experimenting with 3D printed components, Adidas has finally taken the plunge, creating a shoe that doesn't exist until a printer builds it, layer by layer, from nothing at all.
Adidas Climacool, distribution goes global
Adidas announced that from May 2nd the Climacool will be available not only through the platform Confirmed, but also in selected stores in New York, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. A move that marks the definitive transition from the experimental phase to large-scale production.
Although the company is based in Germany, it has curiously not yet announced availability in international stores. I wonder if this is a question of production capacity or a marketing strategy to create further hype. The truth is that, despite the technology promising to democratize production, we are still seeing a rather controlled launch.
Because Adidas is ultimately turning an elitist experiment into a mass-market product, that's the truth.
The potential of 3D printing in footwear
The technology behind the Adidas Climacool is something that goes far beyond simple marketing. The company hasn't revealed exactly what process it uses, calling it "additive manufacturing," but we know that it has used CLIP (Continuous Liquid Interface Production) technology in the past. What is that? It's something that 5 years ago it was just theory.
This method transforms a liquid polymer resin into a solid material layer by layer through ultraviolet light. It is not only an alternative way to produce shoes, but an approach that completely overturns the traditional production logic.
The Climacool’s lattice structure offers lightweight breathability while maintaining arch support and comfort. Back in 2021, the Adidas 4DFWD used similar technology to create a structure that collapses in a specific direction under the runner’s weight, helping direct forward motion with every step.
The race for the shoe of the future
Adidas isn't the only one exploring this territory. New Balance e Nike are conducting similar experiments, with the latter's Air Max 1000 being made almost entirely through additive manufacturing, albeit in very limited availability.
The global launch of Climacool is therefore a step forward for the entire industry. An approach that could, in theory, lead to footwear customized to the morphology of each customer's foot (even if Adidas does not yet offer this option for Climacool, no one in the world will convince me that this is not in the pipeline).
In the near future, products like these will be able to evolve over time simply by modifying a digital 3D model, without changing the entire production line. In short, Adidas Climacool is not just a product, but a manifesto of what footwear production (and not only) will be in the coming years.
A future that literally does not exist until it is printed, layer after layer, in a process that seems more like pure creation than production.
