TS CREATOR X UNDRCRWN: A Closer Look
10 January, 2009 01:32am | Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
As promised, I’m here to do a closer look on the adidas TS CREATOR X UNDRCRWN. This post will serve as a rating scale for future sneaks that you might consider. As previously mentioned, adidas’ campaign for the NBA season was to promote the 2 types of players- the Commanders and Creators. The Bigs (Dwight/TD) get the Commander (both the TS Bounce Commander and the TS Commander) while the guards/swingmen (Chauncey, Tmac and Arenas) get the Creator and the Lightning. As always, our boy Gilbert Arenas gets a low cut version of the shoe (and yes, he hasn’t played in them the whole season!). Adidas Philippines released various colorways/editions for the whole campaign but I’ll be focusing on Gilbert’s.
Currently, there are four (4) colorways out in the market. They have the white/white/grey which is safest among the 4, the black/black/purple with polka dot lining (yes, it’s a bit fruity but it’s how you rock it that matters), the Barcelona2Berlin limiteds (though we believe these were made for the NBA Europe Live Tour Gil was supposed to participate in) and the Creator x Undrcrwns.
I was able to speak with one of the partners of UNDRCRWN, Bryon Sheng, about the shoe. He mentioned that there are only 500 pairs worldwide (though some sites state that there are only 100 for Gil’s sneaker). In Manila, the undrcrwn edition can be copped at the Rockwell branch as well as the Megamall adi branch. I’ve yet to see them at the flagship store over at Trinoma but they should be carrytng the shoe as well. There’s about one pair per size per store.
Though the undrcrwn version seems more for flossin’ than for ballin’, you still can play in them (which is what I did earlier today). Let’s get into the specifics:
Fit and Feel. I wore it for the first half of our game earlier. I must say they were pretty good. The leather lining helped in securing my foot and did not cause any sliding while moving around the paint. The toe box is cut from the shoe’s body, thus making it easier to bend twhile running. Among the 3 sneakers Gil has had, these had the lowest ankle space but feels the most secure while shifting laterally. Though the Remix series is really bringing court sneakers to another level, they held up pretty well and did not tire my foot throughout the game. Cushioning. The shoe has a sculpted EVA midsole that provides season-long durability and unmatched comfort. The sole has Adi’s latest Formotion incarnation and a sticky, rubberized outsole pattern. The Formotion at that the heel provides a pretty smooth transition and luxurious court feel. I’m a big guy and the Formotion on the heel really gave me a bounce to my step (I’m sure my teammates would beg to differ but there was! really!).
The Look. It’s hot to def! Among all the basketball sneaker releases adidas has ha
d over the past 3 years, the Arenas line (Gil Zero, TS Lightswitch, and TS Creator Low) has been the best looking one. The undrcrwn version is a bit of a risk if you are the messy type .Instead of leather undrcrwn went on to use canvas and rubber to make the shoe. The colorway- bone with tinges of red and blue makes a great overall look.
Fit and Feel. I wore it for the first half of our game earlier. I must say they were pretty good. The leather lining helped in securing my foot and did not cause any sliding while moving around the paint. The toe box is cut from the shoe’s body, thus making it easier to bend twhile running. Among the 3 sneakers Gil has had, these had the lowest ankle space but feels the most secure while shifting laterally. Though the Remix series is really bringing court sneakers to another level, they held up pretty well and did not tire my foot throughout the game. Cushioning. The shoe has a sculpted EVA midsole that provides season-long durability and unmatched comfort. The sole has Adi’s latest Formotion incarnation and a sticky, rubberized outsole pattern. The Formotion at that the heel provides a pretty smooth transition and luxurious court feel. I’m a big guy and the Formotion on the heel really gave me a bounce to my step (I’m sure my teammates would beg to differ but there was! really!).
Overall, I liked the feel of th
is shoe over the last edition (the TS Lightswitch). I’m sure the regular issue Creators are better for the court than the undrcrwns simply because they were made for the game and not the club. After all, if you’re one of the lucky 100 that was able to cop a pair, I’m sure you’ll think long and hard prior to wearing them come game time.and yes, the gil zero ts lightswitches below has gil’s signature on them. Anyone interested?
