Subway-themed sports shoes are just the ticket for Berliners
The Adidas limited-edition sneakers that match the Berlin subway seat design, and include a yearly travel pass, are displayed at the 'Overkill' shoe store in Berlin, Germany January 16, 2018. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
BERLIN (Reuters) - Dozens of sports shoe enthusiasts stormed Adidas stores in Berlin on Tuesday to snatch a pair of shoes launched in collaboration with the public transport network that incorporate the same pattern as the subway's seats, as well as an annual ticket.
Adidas is selling just 500 pairs of the shoes for 180 euros (159.98 pounds) each to coincide with the 90th anniversary of the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) public transport company.
The shoes - an updated version of the EQT shoes originally launched in 1993 that were popular with east Germans after the fall of the Berlin Wall - have a season ticket valid for 2018 sewn into the tongue of the shoes, normally worth 730 euros.
The Adidas limited-edition sneakers that match the Berlin subway seat design, and include a yearly travel pass, are displayed at the 'Overkill' shoe store in Berlin, Germany January 16, 2018. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
"How cool is that?" said BVG chairwoman Sigrid Nikutta. "It's great that the BVG, which is celebrating its 90th birthday this year, is now becoming a style icon itself."
The Berlin public transport company has revamped its image in recent years with a series of quirky ads and social media campaigns that have gone viral. It already sells bags and other accessories with its swirling red, black and blue seat pattern.
"I already have a buyer who will pay 850 euros," said Nikita Dutschenko, a young man who said he was missing school to wait in line with dozens of others who camped out overnight in sub-zero temperatures. "You can make good money out of it."
The Adidas limited-edition sneakers that match the Berlin subway seat design, and include a yearly travel pass, are displayed at the 'Overkill' shoe store in Berlin, Germany January 16, 2018. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
Rival Nike has previously collaborated with the London underground on several sneaker lines using its patterns and fonts, including to mark its 150th anniversary in 2013.
(Reporting by Emma Thomasson; Editing by Adrian Croft)
Chairwoman of the Management Board of Berlin Transport (BVG), Sigrid Nikutta poses with a limited-edition Adidas sneaker that matches the Berlin subway seat design at the 'Overkill' shoe store in Berlin, Germany January 16, 2018. REUTERS/Fabrizio BenschSteven Fischer (R) examines the pair of limited-edition Adidas sneakers he bought, that match the Berlin subway seat design, and include a yearly travel pass, at the 'Overkill' shoe store in Berlin, Germany January 16, 2018. REUTERS/Fabrizio BenschPeople queue outside the 'Overkill' shoe store to buy limited-edition Adidas sneakers that match the Berlin subway seat design, and include a yearly travel pass, in Berlin, Germany January 16, 2018. REUTERS/Fabrizio BenschSteven Fischer is surrounded by media after buying the first pair of limited-edition Adidas sneakers that match the Berlin subway seat design, and include a yearly travel pass, at the 'Overkill' shoe store in Berlin, Germany January 16, 2018. REUTERS/Fabrizio BenschSteven Fischer poses for the media, after buying the first pair of Adidas limited-edition sneakers that match the Berlin subway seat design, which includes a yearly travel pass, at the 'Overkill' shoe store in Berlin, Germany January 16, 2018. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
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