Adidas Consortium Revisits 2008's ZX 8000 Release Honoring Shoe's Designers

The Adidas Consortium program launched in 2005, coinciding with the 35th anniversary of the Superstar. The initiative aimed to elevate sportswear through premium remakes, limited launches, and cultural exchange between a global net of collaborators.

In 2008, the ZX 8000 running model from 1989 starred in an ambitious project dubbed aZX. Twenty-two different retail partners were tasked with reimagining the 19-year-old silhouette to their liking. High-quality resources would be made available for the occasion, resulting in well-received product from Adidas Originals. The initiative culminated in an ultra-limited, premium edition of the ZX 8000 honoring two minds crucial to the range's legacy: Jacques Chassaing and Markus Thaler.

Shops participating in the aZX project received limited stock of a special "Yellow/Blue Glow/Unity Purple"-clad sneaker. The pair had its upper reworked to include no visible seams as to elevate the performance runner from '89 into the premium footwear space. Sketches of both Chassaing and Thaler replaced traditional branding elements on each tongue label, cementing the model's original designer and craftsman, respectively, within the annals of Three Stripes history.

Newly-surfaced e-commerce shots of an Adidas ZX 8000 duo showcase two elegant makeovers on the way. The aforementioned pair returns rather faithfully, although direct nods to Chassaing and Thaler are omitted. A "Blue Glow/Unity Purple" option appears like a spin on the OG "Aqua" ZX 8000, indulging in different shades of the eye-catching color palette as well as color-blocking.

Both, however, harken back to an important time for the company's advancements in running, all while offering a break from the low-profile, thin-soled aesthetic that's dominated the footwear space.

Enjoy a closer look at the ZX 8000 duo ahead. Pairs should release at select Adidas retail partners in the first-half of 2026.

For more from the Three Stripes, check out the Adizero Evo SL training shoe.