crooked tongues magazine News Features

The adidas aZX project still brings back happy memories for us. One abiding one is how much of a no-brainer the model pick was at Crooked HQ - we wanted Torsion and we wanted Softcell. The 8000 and 9000 were an instant shortlist seeing as they, bar the Playtex section, were highlights of many a youthful browse in the Kays catalogue back in the day. In the end we picked the 9000 for the versatility, and because we knew we couldn't top the legendary aqua colour scheme on the 8000 - that's untouchable, and carries a certain Euro street-style legacy. Just witness how powerful the Footpatrol ZX 800 is using that same palette.

There's plenty of variations on colourway themes from adidas at the moment, and the 8000 is one of our bestselling shoes at the moment, which is heartening, because it's a perfect technical runner, and 22 years on, Torsion's cutaway audacity still impresses. Bar the whiteout on some panels here, like the excellent final chapter of the aforementioned alphabetic rollout, the hand-crafted ZX 8000 that rearranged that iconic colour palette (if you were lucky enough to handle a pair, you know that shoe was a serious proposition indeed), these are a takedown of sorts - white, yellow and purple shouldn't really work, but they get the job done here. If you thought adidas Originals came out firing these last few months, wait until you see what's set to drop this summer...these are set for a August release.