Unique Lego sneaker in traditional Czech blueprint pattern hits the market

Virtually everyone who has been around children has stepped on a Lego building block. Now the idea comes full circle, with a Lego-themed sneaker kit based on Adidas Superstar sneakers.

The sneaker kits will available exclusively in the Czech Republic through the Footshop store, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary. But there will be just 200 pairs, which will go on sale Sept. 1, for CZK 2,399.

The sneaker kit will come in a Lego-branded box that includes hundreds of pieces that can be assembled. The design is based on the limited edition blueprinting model that Footshop previously released. The end result will, as with most Lego products, be very angular and probably not practical to wear.

Company owner Peter Hajduček approached Danish company Lego, and together they created the kits, which are sure to become collectors’ items. The exterior pattern features rows of round nubs, similar to the connectors on Lego blocks, plastic pieces for the tongue and heel, and other thematic details.

The choice of partnering with Lego is not completely random. While Lego is a Danish company, they have had factory near Kladno in Central Bohemia, since November 2000. The sneaker parts will be made in Kladno, with more pieces made by a a facotry in Slovakia that participated in the blueprint sneaker edition.

Hajduček told news server CzechCrunch, which first reported the story, that this is another milestone in expanding the Footshop range, which has moved beyond just sneakers to also also include accessories. The latter now accounts for more sales.

He added that he was proud that the original blueprint sneaker, which Footshop designed in cooperation with Adidas, can soon be presented in the form of a Lego kit. “It closes the circle for us and confirms that thinking out-of-the-box, so to speak, can bring results. We can't wait to offer it in Footshop stores in an original box from Lego,” Hajduček said.

The project has been under development since the start of the year. It was inspired by a similar project in Germany, where Lego offered a kit to build the standard black-and-white Adidas Superstar sneaker. That model was sold with a display stand. The Czech version has a slightly less angular look, and blue details on a white background.

The blueprinting sneaker that Footshop is using as its model was released in a limited edition of 520 in October 2020, and people who wanted a pair has to participate in a drawing. The pattern was inspired by a traditional Czech clothing style that used blue dyes. The 300-year-old textile dying process was added to the list of intangible world heritage by UNESCO in November 2018, based on a joint nomination by the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Germany and Hungary.

The Adidas Superstar sneaker was first made in 1969 and quickly caught on with professional basketball players. The shoes have been a mainstay of street fashion since the 1980s when hip hop bands such as Run-D.M.C. wore them in videos and on stage.