Back in the 1990s, the rivalry between East and West Coast skateboarders was at its peak. As it’s still the case today, Californian skateboarding was largely associated with perfect weather and carefree surfer dudes hanging loose at pristine skate parks and dried-up water canals year-round, while the urban cesspools that were downtown NYC and Philadelphia defined the unmistakably gangsta skateboarding from the East Coast. One of the most popular brands at the time, Metropolitan U.S.A. helped shape the gritty, raw, sometimes even dispassionate East Coast skating. Not too long ago, and to much critical acclaim, Metropolitan was resurrected by Keith Hufnagel and Hanni El Khatib. Staying true to its roots, a reborn Metropolitan remains distinctly 1990s. It’s not surprising, then, that their most recent collaboration with Adidas Skateboarding dives headfirst into the late 90’s aesthetic of tuner sports cars: the ZX8000, one of the most Nineties sneakers ever, got a detailing by Metropolitan’s distinct art direction. The Metropolitan makeover includes an all-black upper, reflective 3M bits that are reminiscent of illegal night streets races, and a neon Adidas tongue label. Like a race car, the ZX8000 is a complex mix of materials, including mesh for the toe boxes and leather overlays. Featuring a Torsion midsole, the shoe contains all that’s cool about 90s footwear technology. It’s not exactly a skate shoe, but you can certainly take it for a ride in your tricked out 1991 Acura NSX - or, if you’re in Europe, you could easily mingle with your friendly neighborhood Hooligans, as the ZX8000 remains immensely popular among soccer fans in the Old World. The Adidas x Metropolitan collaboration also contains a bunch of matching clothes ranging from custom track pants and tactical fleece tops to jersey longsleeves. You can buy the Adidas Skateboarding X Metropolitan U.S.A. collection at our web shop from Match 21.
