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After picking up the Overkill ZX8500s, I wasn’t sure what the next adidas were going to be for the collection. The adidas ZX 0000 is a shoe that was supposed to release 30 years ago, but never did. If my math is correct then 30 years ago means these were supposed to drop in 1991. I normally think late 80s when I think about the ZX thousand model series.
These are part of the adidas A-ZX series, representing the “E” in the alphabet, which stands for Evolution. The series pairs each letter of the alphabet with a model of Adidas ZX in either a collab or theme. According to adidas, this shoe is an attempt to bridge the ZX and EQT lines, hence the ‘evolution’ theme. This is apparently the last release for this version of the A-ZX line.
As soon as I saw these were going to release, I marked my mental calendar and made sure to remember get a pair. I was able to grab mine off of Feature on day of release for retail. Personally I love specifically the colorway on these! The blue and pink combo on a white backdrop gives a very late 80s – early 90s vibe. Which makes sense given when these were supposed to originally release. The intentional use of offwhite on much of the paneling and midsole gives these a properly vintage look. The storyline with the release makes these somewhat of a ‘collector’s shoe’. Holding them in hand now, they look appropriately old school.
For something from the ZX line, these don’t seem very ‘runner-ish’ to me. Rather, the ankle cut, high tongue, cage and mudguard design and blocky toe give me a somewhat Nike Air Trainer vibe. Like maybe a low top version of that. I actually kind of like it here as this makes the shoe stand out to me from the rest of the ZX line.
Details/Materials
Starting off with the tongue, we have adidas torsion in blue with the ZX and four dots in in pink stitched into this mesh tongue. This symbolizes “to be continued”, a nod to the shoe’s 30 year delay in releasing. Moving down we have suede eyelets with secondary plastic eyelets. We have a tight mesh toebox with microfiber overlays in blue and an offwhite suede mudguard.
Moving to the side we have more thick mesh and suede panels. The 3 stripes done in a bright pink and blue textile. This thick nylon-like material turns up on the stripes of a lot of these ZX retros. We see torsion in blue underlined in pink stitched onto an offwhite suede hit.. Towards the back we have a plastic heel cage surrounded by more microfiber. The rear of the shoe features adidas torsion in pink on the heelcage. Additionally we have more of that microfiber panel and a thin white piece of patterned leather. Around the ankle there’s some pinstripe mesh.
The ankle liner is split between white and pink. The insole is white and has the adidas Torsion cushion branding in black on top of a blue graphic. The outsole is black, blue and cream with a yellow torsion bar. These ship with white shiny flat laces. I’d have preferred something less shiny personally. These also come with some adidas care tags and the typical white A-ZX series box with A-ZX branding on the top and rear.
How is the Quality?
There’s a lot going on with this shoe but the main materials are microfiber, suede, mesh, 3M and the textile used on the stripes. The materials here are t a basic quality level. There’s nothing here that stands out to me as particularly noteworthy. The suede used is the tennis ball suede, basically a felt texture. The blue bits of microfiber are as soft as this material typically is on these types of retros. The mesh used for the most part is on the stiffer side and does not look particularly breathable. There is that small leather hit on the heel but besides the pattern on it, there’s nothing remarkable about it.
I feel like adidas could have made the shoe more special as far as quality given that this is the last of the current A-ZX series. Then again, this is a retro model so perhaps they are sticking with the same materials they would have used back then. I think the point of the shoe is more that it’s a model trapped in time and never officially released until this year.
How Do They Fit?
I normally wear a size 9.5 in most adidas. I consider that my true adidas size. For comparison I usually get a 10 in most Nikes. These Adidas ZX 0000 fit fine at a 9.5 so I recommend whatever you normally get in adidas just stick with that same true to size.
The feel on foot is not the most comfortable out of the ZX line… but neither is the Air Trainer! At least, not on my foot. I would describe the typical retro runner feel as some varation of mostly solid support with some amount of give. These definitely lean more towards the solid support with not that much give. That makes these a little tough to wear for too long. The uppers seem a little stiff, but comfortable and the fit is overall generous for my foot shape, which saves these to some degree. The mesh does not look particularly breathable so if that’s an issue for you, you might stay away from these.
There’s some things about this shoe that I immediately liked and there’s some parts that make me consider why they were never released back then. Overall I like them though, if only for the quirkiness and the special place in ZX history these hold.
Given that the materials and comfort are more so-so than top notch, I can see why these may be a pass for some. As I’m currently in the ZX series rabbit hole I’m willing to be a bit more accepting of these. Still, I know from some of the other releases I know adidas could do better. Still, we have a unique shoe with a nice storyline to it and that does count for something with me. Also, in my opinion these do look nice on feet, in particular because of the colorway and vintage effect.
Where To Cop the Adidas ZX 0000 Evolution
As of the writing of this article, you can find them on eBay or shop new ZX on Adidas’ website.
Colorway: Crystal White / Bright Blue / Bold Pink
Style Code: GZ8500
Year of Release: 2021
MSRP: $140