The EQT Gazelle Continues the Legacy of adidas Equipment

The Three Stripes add a bold new silhouette to the storied EQT lineup.

EQT: A No-Bullshit Approach

‘Everything that is essential and nothing that is not.’

That was the idea behind the Equipment (EQT) lineup when adidas introduced it back in the early 90s, and it hasn’t really strayed from that motto in the decades since.

A reaction to the vibrant, over-the-top aesthetic that the glitz, glam and excess of the 80s spawned, EQT was introduced in 1991 as the ‘no bullshit’ brainchild of Three Stripes marketing guru Robert Strasser and iconic design extraordinaire Peter Moore. The idea behind the line was simple: take the German sportswear giant back to the roots of its foundation and Adi Dassler’s penchant for simplistic functionality – a hallmark of the sneakers of old, and adi offerings in particular.

So, when EQT debuted in 1991, it took a no-nonsense approach to just about every category under the sun. From running and training to soccer and even fencing, EQT distilled things down to the basics, offering the perfect range of silhouettes to meet athletes’ needs. The folks from Herzo even ignored all market research and trends so that they could design solely for the athletes themselves, knowing that retail sales would undoubtedly follow if performance was top-notch. ‘Honesty and transparency would drive the market, not fashion or fads,’ was their thinking. ‘The best of adidas for every athlete.’

Naturally, adidas were right, and performance was indeed as good as it could get thanks to focuses on protection and comfort. Seemingly simple design details like midsole-connected nylon lacing loops and perfectly placed overlays kept the foot supported and in place, while segmented tooling and the likes of Torsion tech allowed the wearers’ heel and forefoot to move freely in the various kicks. The result? Perfectly tailored performance thanks to an emphasis on the essentials. Moore and company also introduced a brand new logo and streamlined colour palette to coincide with the various releases. Even the names for the kicks themselves were simple. Ever wondered what exactly the beloved EQT Support and EQT Cushion were intended to do? To provide support and cushion, dummy!

IMAGE CREDIT: adidas

Equipment Reboot

Fast forward to just a few years ago, and adidas revisited the Equipment lineup for a brand new reboot. While the silhouettes were new, the mission was the same: give athletes everything that they needed and nothing that they didn’t – only the essentials.

Carrying on that legacy of quality performance, the new kicks were once again marked by purposeful construction and premium materials. And what does that mean nowadays? The Three Stripes’ flagship technologies: BOOST and Primeknit. Various Support updates went the lightweight route and juxtaposed their sleek, sock-like construction with mid-top cuts, moulded external heel counters, seamless synthetic overlays, and the original midsole-connected nylon lacing straps to stay true to the OG Support’s mission. The Cushion silhouettes, on the other hand, mostly went all-in on the BOOST, though kicks like the EQT Cushion ADV rocked chunky multi-density tooling as a nod to the retro-inspired trends that have dominated footwear design in recent years.

IMAGE CREDIT: adidas

Enter the EQT Gazelle

Now adi are writing the latest chapter in EQT history with the introduction of the EQT Gazelle.

Essentially the perfect modern day lifestyle addition to the Equipment lineup, the kicks go all-in on the retro-inspired aesthetic, while also incorporating the design elements that have long been the lineup’s hallmarks. Segmented tooling? Check. Perfectly placed overlays? Check. A design that screams ‘adidas’? Absolutely. The EQT Gazelle is adidas Equipment turned up to the nth degree. Think of it as the perfect amalgamation of our current design excesses with the staples that EQT have been employing since day one. It’s EQT meeting the dad shoe.

Fans can cop the brand new EQT Gazelle now via SneakerHub. Act fast!

EQT, yeah you know me