adidas x Mike Arnold Handball Top Skate Shoes - Core Black/Core Black/Semi Impact Orange

From achieving legendary status at Lloyds in his native Bristol, to becoming a mainstay in Jacob Harris’ Atlantic Drift series and establishing himself as one of the core member of adidas’ skateboarding division, Mike Arnold sits as one of Britain’s finest exports, rubbing shoulders with the best in the business and never looking out of place. His latest triumph sees him land a second signature colourway for the Handball Top, a Core Black & Semi Impact Orange effort.

Reflecting his skate style, Mike’s second iteration of the Handball Top thinks outside the box, taking the classic archive court shoe and reenvisioning it with fresh inspiration from visual cues like speed and friction, depicting the colours and aesthetics of sparks, smoke, and exhausts. The upper is built from a combination of suedes and nubuck, whilst rubber stripes sit atop an embroidered eruption of suede that combines a mix of orange and grey emissions, creating an illusion of speed emitting from the sidewalls of the shoe.

Accompanying the shoe, adidas Skateboarding teamed up with Bristol-based artist Jasper Golding to craft custom animations to unite the full experience through a mix of lo-fi 2D and 3D elements. Most notably, a playable skate game “Spiral Piece” in the style of early 2000s skate single players. Based at the legendary Bristol skate spot, Lloyds, with a dimensional twist, the game also features an immersive soundtrack from DJ and producer Portway to complete the Bristol tributes.

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