adidas launches CLIMACOOL LACED 3D-printed shoe with seamless lattice structure

adidas today released the CLIMACOOL LACED, a Fall/Winter 2026 sneaker built around a seamless lattice structure produced via additive manufacturing. The shoe extends the CLIMACOOL line first introduced in September 2024, adding a tongue and laces for adjustable fit while maintaining the 360-degree breathability achieved through a dense lattice design. Each pair requires approximately 24 hours of production time using a polymer-based process that combines spinning, baking, and compression steps. The shoe also features ghost stripe detailing on the side panels.

This launch continues adidas's deliberate, iterative approach to production-scale polymer AM in footwear, a segment where the company has been a pioneer since the Futurecraft 4D line. Unlike the hype-driven early years of 3D-printed midsoles, adidas has steadily moved from Carbon DLS-based mass production toward a more integrated, in-house controlled process. The CLIMACOOL LACED represents a refinement: it is not a technology demo but a commercial product that adds fit adjustability - a practical consumer need - to an already validated lattice platform. The 24-hour cycle time per pair signals that adidas is optimizing for design complexity and breathability performance rather than competing on throughput with conventional injection molding. This places the product squarely in the premium, performance-oriented tier of the footwear market, where AM's value proposition is differentiation, not cost parity.

For the AM industry, adidas remains the most credible large-scale reference for polymer AM in consumer goods. The company has avoided the trap of overpromising production volumes and instead focused on design-led applications where lattice geometries deliver measurable functional benefits. The key execution question is whether adidas can scale this platform across more SKUs without compromising the 24-hour cycle or material consistency. For buyers and competitors, the CLIMACOOL LACED confirms that polymer AM in footwear is not a passing experiment but a slowly maturing production method - one that will grow through incremental product extensions, not sudden category disruption.