After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Japanese television network TV Asahi raised over 140 million yen (~€1 million) in donations for a campaign that resulted in the planting of over 9000 sakura trees in Berlin. Today, the TV-Asahi-Kirschblütenallee, or Cherry Blossom Alley, stands as a poignant memento between the countries of Germany and Japan.
This cultural exchange marked the beginning of the annual Hanami/Yozakura festival in Berlin. A tradition that has existed in Japan for centuries, Hanami welcomes the bloom of cherry blossoms in the Spring, with friends and family gathering together outdoors on picnic mats to enjoy the beauty of nature together.
adidas Originals has crafted two custom colorways of the ZX8000 silhouette to celebrate this relationship between Germany and Japan. The “Hanami” colorway comes dressed in tonal pink with red hits throughout, while the “Yozakura” colorway encapsulates the festival’s move from day to night with a grey upper, hits of pink, and a blue outsole.
Both colorways feature Tokyo and Berlin lace jewels, cherry blossom graphics hidden on the tongue tag, and custom insoles – one dressed in plaid German picnic mat print and the other in a Japanese blue tarpaulin mat pattern. Each sneaker then comes packaged in a specially designed graphically-split box that matches the picnic mat-inspired insoles.
The adidas ZX8000 “Kirschblütenallee” Pack will be launching at select retailers like HANON and on adidas Japan on March 28th. No word yet on a stateside release. Grab a look at both “Hanami” and “Yozakura” colorways below.
Shop on StockX: Hanami / Yozakura
adidas ZX8000 “Hanami'”
Color: Ice Pink/Glow Red/Vapor Pink
Style Code: FU7308
Release Date: March 28, 2020
Price: $120 USD
adidas ZX8000 “Yozakura'”
Color: Grey One/Vapor Pink/Grey Two
Style Code: FU7311
Release Date: March 28, 2020
Price: $120 USD
