This August, Y-3 releases a breakthrough footwear style first seen at its Fall/Winter 2018 runway show. The Kaiwa trainer innovates while remaining rooted in the adidas archive, reframing the brand’s pioneering ’90s principle of comfort through geometry.
Inspired by this concept, Y-3 combines a running-inspired silhouette with fearless street attitude to create the Kaiwa, which means “conversation” in Japanese, and here symbolizes the constant dialogue, between adidas and Yohji Yamamoto, around street culture, craftsmanship, and technology.
Minimalist yet maximalist, inspired by performance yet street, the Kaiwa is an expression of the dualities at the core of Y-3. The shoe features a sleek leather upper accented by a subtle suede heel and contrasting midsole accents that create a bold, 3-D effect. These distinct “foam bubbles” wrap the foot in enhanced comfort while simultaneously offering a striking visual appeal.
Meticulously crafted, the Kaiwa exhibits a new, 360°, sock-like fit that is seamlessly fused with a full-leather construction. Its thick, hard-wearing rubber outsole is molded in a classic herringbone grip pattern for superior traction. It bears the Y-3 logo on its tongue and heel and the Yohji Yamamoto wordmark along its EVA midsole.
On August 3, The Kaiwa will launch globally at Y-3 flagship stores, Y-3.com, and select retailers worldwide in black-white color combination.
