When our intrepid SoccerBible reporters returned from South Africa this week, with them (as well as the standard match memorabilia and an annoyingly loud vuvuzela) was a unique and impressively different adidas adiPure III football boot...
The (super-lucky) Soccer BIble reporters were in Cape Town to sample the World Cup fever and attend the greatest football showcase on the planet - but being the massive boot spotting and football gear fans they are, didn't fail to spot the unique beaded adidas adiPure III World Cup souvenir, created by South Africa's very own Streetwires team.
We've already seen adidas' continued support of Nelson Mandela's 46664 charity foundation with a series of African inspired paintings and auctions, so this weighty football boot art fits right in with the culture and celebration of the continent's first World Cup.
This unique adiPure III has been crafted by the famous Streetwires, and we just had to share it with SoccerBible fans.
Streetwires is a South African fair trade company which makes and
markets wire and beads handmade products, just like this boot art. With over
100 formerly unemployed men and women, the company helps to provide the skills training, support and raw materials needed to to channel natural creative
energies into this vibrant art form.
The Streetwires team have perfectly recreated the World Cup colourway for the adiPure III, with a few artistic licence enhancements! As you'd expect, this crafted adiPure weighs considerably more than the standard production model, thanks in part to the thousands of beads and intricate wire frame that weave together to create the boot.
Not that you would be able to play in them, as this mini boot measures just over 25cm in length!
The attention to detail on this boot art is incredible, from the
classic adidas three stripes on the side of the boot, to the stud
layout underneath and the colourful South African flag that forms the
"tongue" of this boot.
There aren't many things that can lay claim to being truly and uniquely South African. "Wire art" the sculpting and crafting of works of art from wire, beads,
tin cans and other recycled goods is surely one. So combining this with our favourite thing - football boots - makes for a great World Cup story.
One debate this does raise up is the possibility of other Streetwires boots - for example, what would a wire-beaded F50 adizero look like? We'd love to see a Messi Chameleon version too!
So, if you're lucky enough to get to South Africa, keep your boot spotting eyes not just on the pitches - but around the town as well for any other unique football boots!