Adidas Introduces the AlphaBOUNCE Beyond

Adidas has heard its athletes and responded with its first update to the original AlphaBOUNCE with the AlphaBOUNCE Beyond. The upgraded silhouette is designed to be a running-first trainer. It also features a Continental rubber outsole for maximum traction on any surface.

Bleacher Report Kicks sat down with the designer behind the Adidas AlphaBOUNCE Beyond, George Robusti.

Bleacher Report: What was the inspiration behind the AlphaBOUNCE Beyond? What was some of the feedback given by the athletes?

George Robusti: The AlphaBOUNCE Beyond was driven by athlete insights and built to perform. The athlete's journey of preparation and training is different to that of a core runner. No matter the sport, these athletes use running to train and gain an edge in their performance. Whether you are a football player, basketball player or soccer player, the AlphaBOUNCE products cover your versatile performance needs. We have worked with various athletes, from university football teams through to professionals, to create the AlphaBOUNCE Beyond. The main focus and insight drivers were around multidirectional movements, and that led to a wider, more stable tooling platform with high levels of foot-to-ground confidence and lateral stability. Every athlete, at some stage in their journey of preparation, will perform running and training movements that require extra support and stability—this was a consistent theme when talking with athletes across various sports.

BR: How was the initial AlphaBOUNCE received? Although it doesn't feature Boost, what makes AlphaBOUNCE (and AlphaBOUNCE Beyond) unique?

GR: The initial AlphaBOUNCE was received incredibly well—it was a success from day one. It resonated with athletes and brought them something that met their performance requirements, without compromising their style needs. The BOUNCE foam we developed for AlphaBOUNCE gives a great level of cushioning and underfoot feel, and it is naturally a little firmer than boost, which was best for these athletes seeking added stability for multidirectional movements, and even transitioning into the gym.

BR: What was the process like going from a running shoe to a trainer? What were aspects of the shoe that had to stay? Had to go?

GR: The first AlphaBOUNCE was designed as a nicely cushioned linear running shoe for the athlete, with forged upper zones to build in extra lateral support for any additional movements and direction change that isn't just linear. The AlphaBOUNCE Beyond bookends the performance needs of the athlete's tool kit and is designed for running plus a whole array of multidirectional movements and conditioning. It's still a running shoe at the core but with added features and geometries to achieve increased support and stability. The midsole is wider, and there is a heel counter that extends into the midfoot for added stability. The Forge Mesh stayed and has been zonally tuned to give support during different movements without compromising on linear running.

Adidas

BR: Why is the AlphaBOUNCE an important sneaker for the brand, alongside other popular Adidas silhouettes (UltraBoost, NMD and even Yeezy)?

GR: The AlphaBOUNCE is a very important shoe for the brand—it expands on our already formidable running lineup (Ultra, Pure, adizero, etc.) by focusing on athletes who run for their sport. Zooming out to the bigger picture, the AlphaBOUNCE complements what the greater brand is offering by making performance products that are borne from sport culture and built for purpose—while remaining aesthetically pleasing.

BR: What was the thinking behind creating a silhouette that doesn't feature three distinct stripes? Was that on purpose? What makes AlphaBOUNCE so different?

GR: The AlphaBOUNCE is a confident shoe, built to maximize the athlete's potential and speak performance. So where the upper is concerned, the focus was on the technology (Forge Mesh), which provides levels of seamless support around the foot. This seamless and embedded approach to function, through Forge Mesh, naturally creates the visual identity for the shoe. Therefore, we want to emphasize this and keep the Three Stripe branding as a distinct sign-off on the tongue. The "badge of sport" (Adidas logo) sits proudly on the heel counter.