Adidas and Rick Owens have unveiled a new collaborative collection after about nine years.
The two brands have returned to Springblade, a model Adidas introduced in 2013, pairing its outsole of individual blades with Rick Owens’s signature exaggerated proportions and distinctive mix of materials.
The collection comprises two Springblade runners in Core Black and Light Brown and one pair of Springblade boots in black. Each combines Adidas technology with Rick Owens’s design identity.
A Collaboration That Began in 2013 Returns to Springblade
Adidas and Rick Owens began collaborating in 2013.
Rick Owens, who had started running at the time, was looking for running shoes that suited his taste. He teamed up with Adidas to introduce their first collaborative model, the Rick Owens Runner.
The two brands went on to release models including the Tech Runner, Blade Runner and Mastodon, experimenting with the boundary between sportswear and high fashion.
The approach combined Adidas’s functional technology and construction with the thick soles, exaggerated proportions and geometric forms favored by Rick Owens.
The brands’ collaboration ended in 2017, but they reunited in 2026 and chose Springblade technology, which they had also used together in the past.
Springblade is a running-shoe technology Adidas introduced in 2013 after about six years of research and development. Instead of a conventional foam midsole, it features 16 individual polymer blades arranged on the sole.
Each blade tilts forward and is designed to bend on impact when the foot lands, then return to its original shape to transfer energy.
Viewed from the side, the repeated blades running from heel to toe define the overall shape of the shoes in this collaboration.
Rather than conceal this structure, Rick Owens left it exposed, making a functional element of the running shoe central to the design.
Springblade Runner: A Restrained Upper and Exaggerated Outsole
The Springblade Runner starts with a relatively streamlined low-top silhouette, adding leather overlays to a mesh upper and placing Adidas’s three stripes prominently on both sides.
The Core Black version pairs black mesh and leather with bright light-brown stripes for a striking contrast.
A leather panel wrapping around the toes gives the toe box a defined shape, while the stripes on the sides visually connect with the bladed outsole.
The relatively clear boundaries between the materials and panels also reveal the shoe’s structural features.
By contrast, the Light Brown version uses an upper close to a pale cream color, with stripes in a similar shade.
It shares the black model’s structure, but with less color contrast between materials, the design draws attention instead to the different textures of the mesh and leather.
The two models differ in more than just color.
While Core Black clearly highlights the graphic three stripes and the shape of the outsole, Light Brown layers materials in similar shades to emphasize the shoe’s curves and three-dimensional structure.
The result shows how different color arrangements can create distinct designs using the same performance technology.
Springblade Boot: Functional Structure Meets a Slouchy Silhouette
The Springblade Boot is the piece in this collection that most clearly expresses Rick Owens’s design language.
It uses the same bladed outsole as the Runner, but a textile upper that rises to the calf gives it an entirely different shape.
Its most notable feature is a gaiter made from waterproof CORDURA fabric.
Designed to reduce the amount of water and debris entering the shoe, it serves a functional purpose while also helping define the boot’s overall proportions.
In particular, the folds formed as the fabric naturally creases around the instep and ankle are a design feature also seen in Rick Owens’s “Taco” series.
Soft textiles are layered over the rigid blade outsole, creating a striking contrast between mechanical structure and flexible materials.
On the Runner, the Three Stripes crossed the sides; on the Boot, they are positioned to wrap broadly over the instep. The same logo creates an entirely different impression as the height and shape of the upper change.
The Springblade Boot builds on adidas sports technology while offering a more direct expression of the sculptural footwear design Rick Owens has developed over the years.
November 17 Release: US Pricing and adidas CONFIRMED Details
The Rick Owens x adidas Springblade collection is set to launch globally on Tuesday, November 17, 2026. In the United States, the release will be available through the adidas CONFIRMED app, with additional availability through Rick Owens’ official online store and select retailers.
US retail prices are set at $590 for both colorways of the Springblade Runner and $850 for the Springblade Boots.
Product Details
- Springblade Runner – Core Black
- Style Code: KJ5663
- Retail Price: $590 USD
- Springblade Runner – Light Brown
- Style Code: KJ3110
- Retail Price: $590 USD
- Springblade Boot – Core Black
- Style Code: KJ3122
- Retail Price: $850 USD
Release Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2026
Release Method: adidas CONFIRMED app, with additional releases through select retailers
CONFIRMED Registration: Opens November 11, 2026. The exact US entry deadline has not been independently confirmed.
Where to Buy: adidas CONFIRMED, Rick Owens’ official online store, and select authorized retailers
Thirteen years after adidas first introduced its Springblade cushioning technology, Rick Owens has reimagined the distinctive sole system through his own design language.
By transforming a performance-driven running shoe into a collection that bridges sportswear and high fashion, the collaboration offers more than a return to the archives. It represents the first chapter in a renewed partnership, offering an early indication of where Rick Owens and adidas might take their creative relationship after nearly nine years apart.
