On April 12, Adidas announced their newest release: the ‘Croptober’ Campus 80’s. These shoes are unique because they have two layers. The shoes come out of the box with a brown rolling paper wrapping around them, but the owner can rip the paper off to find a green furry layer underneath.
These shoes are made in an effort to increase awareness about sustainability and contribute to Adidas’ goal to be carbon neutral by 2050. The materials used on these shoes are all recycled materials.
These shoes are one-of-a-kind, but we have seen similar initiatives by different companies. As the world becomes more cognizant of carbon footprint and increases the usage of recycled materials, the shoe industry will evolve with it. Most sneaker companies have promised carbon neutrality somewhere in the years of 2025 to 2050.
These shoes are the physical representation of the carbon neutrality goals, and we can expect to see more shoes made with recycled material.
The shoes will retail for $110 and are being released on April 20.
Adidas releases the Croptobers in a time of growing emphasis on the environment. There are a significant amount of smaller companies (Allbirds, Veja) whose platforms are built on being environmentally friendly, and there is a huge market for these companies. Now, most of these smaller companies are certainly not in the sneaker resell market and are nowhere near it, but a precident is starting to be set.
Croptobers are a hybrid shoe in the sense that they are conscious about sustainability, but also in the realm of fast fashion. The Croptobers likely won’t resell for more than they’re bought for (or maybe even resell at all), but slowly, we are moving that direction.
The leaders of the sneaker resell market in Nike and Jordan haven’t released any resellable sneakers that compare, but it’s safe to say we can expect one soon. This branch of the sneaker resell market and fashion is growing quickly.
Companies around the world have expanded sustainability efforts into areas like studs in cleats, shoe soles, and laces, all made from recycled material beads.
