Creative Soccer Culture

The Shoe Surgeon Previews An adidas Predator Mania x Balenciaga Hybrid

Custom king the Shoe Surgeon looks like he has something very special lined up for the World Cup later this year, after he teases his own take on the adidas x Balenciaga collaboration recently on his Instagram channel.

Balenciaga’s recent collaborative collection with adidas was unveiled at an NYC show hosted at the New York Stock Exchange back in May, with the fashion label once again dipping its toe into the footballing world. But now it looks like it will be more than just a toe, and more like the whole foot, thanks to LA-based custom creator, Dominic Ciambrone, better known as the Shoe Surgeon, who has previewed something special ahead of this year’s World Cup.

The project is set to see the Shoe Surgeon creating a Predator Mania x Balenciaga hybrid, taking one of the most iconic football boots of all-time in the Mania, and combining it with the outsole of some of Balenciaga’s key sneakers for what is a pretty unique creation.

Originally previewed on the Shoe Surgeon’s Instagram channel, the video sees Ciambrone grinding down the studs on the soleplate of the Mania, before sitting it on top of the Balenciaga outsole. The vid post was accompanied by the caption “World Cup prep”, suggesting that this is part of a project ahead of Qatar 2022, the first-ever World Cup to be hosted in the winter.

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As a boot that notably played a key role in making the 2002 World Cup so iconic, the Mania holds a special place in many people’s hearts, but with a reputation as the godfather of shoe customisation it feels like this is in very safe hands. While the premise may conjure images of BOTTER’s creations from Paris Fashion Week earlier this year, we have faith that the finished article will be far more impressive. All eyes on what’s to come...

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Shop adidas Predator boots at prodirectsoccer.com

Author
Daniel Jones

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