Scores of people braved near-freezing temperatures to queue up for a limited edition pair of adidas trainers which are inspired by the London Underground.
The rare trainers have been released by adidas as part of their collaboration with Transport for London to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Oyster card.
A limited amount of trainers from the “Oyster Club pack” went on sale on Saturday, with each of the three types costing £80 and being based on an element of the Tube’s history.
Buyers also got an Oyster card with £80 credit loaded on to it in a specially designed leather wallet.
Pictures taken in Hanbury Street show a number of dedicated adidas fans queueing in the street in temperatures around 3C to get their hands on a pair of the limited edition trainers.
One disappointed Londoner told the Standard that the trainers sold out in half an hour after the 10am launch.
Another person who returned home empty-handed was Matt Packer, who waited for two hours in the cold but suggested his “early queueing was not early enough”.
He said: “We started just before 8am and were around 92nd in the queue but sadly they only had 70 pairs. The guy at the very front of the queue had been there since 1.30am.”
The customer said he would be back for the second release next weekend “a few hours earlier”.
Overall, just 500 of each trainer from the “Oyster Club pack” will go on sale. These designs include Temper Run, ZX 500RM and Continental 80.
The ZX 500RM is inspired by vintage advertising posters which were discovered in abandoned train stations, while Continental 80 is inspired by the Metropolitan Line.
They will be available from November 3 and 10 respectively.
Trainers featuring the Temper Run designs, which went on sale on Saturday, feature the iconic ‘Mind the Gap’ symbol on the tongue.
They were available to buy this morning at the Adidas Originals stores in London at Fouberts Place and Hanbury Street, as well as select retailers
Gavin Thomson from adidas said: “London is a city bubbling with creativity from a population constantly moving forwards. TfL and the Underground network make that possible.
“This partnership allows adidas to celebrate the world’s most famous transport system and London through our designs.
“True to adidas’ Originals principles, the collaboration takes its inspiration from the past, present and future to celebrate the heritage and unity of London’s creators. United by TfL. Told by Originals.”
Graeme Craig, Director of Commercial Development at TfL said: "The Tube, its roundel and the Oyster Card are all iconic symbols of London and this partnership shows how two world-renowned brands can work together to produce something truly original.
"Collaborations like this help provide vital funds that we invest in modernising the transport network for the benefit of all our customers."
