The brief was to design a limited edition shoebox for adidas neo Futro Mixr sneakers - a pair of shoes inspired by the concept of culture remix, adding in new elements to the adidas running archive rather than just being a regular "bring back" model.

The box should generate social buzz, impress influencers, and create a stunning unboxing experience. It also needs to function as a shop display - a visual magnet that can stand the wear-and-tear of transportation and everyday use.

1,000 units needed to be produced, at a budget of USD44,000.

The Futro Mixr is a pair of sneakers inspired by the concept of culture remix, boosting a signature silhouette from the 70’s reimagined with details from other cultural eras. A special edition shoebox was designed for the launch. The design was based on the form and function of a dual-opening cassette player - paying homage to the golden age of mixtapes where culture was conceived, remixed and propagated through cassette tapes. It was designed to create a memorable experience, generate social buzz, and also function as a display case.

The design was targeted at Chinese Gen Z - a group that's nostalgic for the 90's, fascinated by retro technology, with a current culture that liberally and purposefully remixes the old with the new.

The design was inspired by the cultural phenomenon of mixtapes - where a cassette tape becomes a canvas for cultures to meet and creativity to blossom. We took the form and function of the cassette player, and utilized a dual-sided opening to house one shoe on each side. Typography and colourway stayed true to our retro inspirations - round-corner type with an orange/cream colour combination. The size of the box was engineered around actual shoe size.

The mechanics of the box made it into a memorable unboxing experience, and also allowed it to function as a display case. Acrylic was selected as the main material for its durability. It could also be reused for storage and display purposes to reduce waste.

The touchpoints were influencer unboxing experiences, social media posts, and shop front displays.

1. The buzz of Futro Mixr buzz grew from 0 to #1 ranking among adidas neo footwear, and #12 among total adidas brand (incl. Yeezy). Keyword search for "adidas neo" increased 650%, far more than expected.

2. With interactive format and diversified content, Clicks and CTR also performed very well (5.6M clicks,+273%) with 139M impressions.

3. Special shoebox helped to earn a total of 6.7M RMB media/PR value and successfully built up product talkability. The buzz was then transferred to Sell Through (52.7%/60Days) through close collaboration with key customer Topsports.

4. The first adidas neo footwear launch in DeWu (POIZON App, China's premier urban cultural shopping site) to be sold out in 5 minutes, The secondary market price reached 1,299 RMB (versus the original price of 799 RMB).