Hypebeast sat down with Nick Galway, the principal designer of the sneakers of the moment, the Adidas Tubular Runner, to discuss the difference between it and the Y-3 Qasa, which has been the natural comparison ever since the Tubular was announced. Since Galway designed both shoes, he's got final authority on the matter, that's for damn sure. The main takeaway: The Tubular is basically a product of the Y-3 design process and is very close to an early prototype for the Qasa, serving as a sort of spiritual successor to the Tubular, if you will.
The relationship between Y-3 and Adidas, which is something I've always wondered about, is compared to how Formula 1 technology trickles down to consumer cars. Y-3 is the innovative, daring program that tests out new technologies and the ones that stick end up in more widespread, general release Adidas models. And just as Jordan Brand depends on retro releases, Galway also notes the importance of Adidas Originals, which uses the brand's storied history to keep customers in touch with the brand through models like the Gazelle, Samba or Superstar, but also pushes the innovation envelope with sneakers such as the Tubular. It really seems like Adidas has made some big changes to their business this year and the months to come could provide a big boost for them. Shit, it's worked pretty fucking well so far.
