Everything You Need to Know About the Adidas Battle Pack

Finally, it has arrived – the 2014 World Cup in Brazil has officially kicked-off and not a minute too soon. Other than the fact we get to see the best players in the world in action, competing at the highest level, we also get to do plenty of high profile boot spotting. As part of that, Adidas introduced the Battle Pack Collection a few months back, five boots that each feature their own unique 50/50 Black and White designs.

With so much coverage and time invested in the collection, we are extremely pleased to be able to bring you exclusive details on the collection. Below are the intricate thoughts of one of the influential members of adidas team on this particular project; Gerald Kuhtz, Lead Developer, Battle Pack. This Q&A proves very insightful and I’m sure those of you who enjoy a good old behind-the-scenes look will appreciate Gerald’s responses to several important questions.

The full Battle Pack Collection is currently available on soccer.com.

What is the rationale behind creating “Battle Pack”?

We want to create a big and lasting impression on the World Cup, the world’s largest football event and the ultimate platform for the adidas state-of-the-art footwear. It’s important to tell a unique story from adidas’ perspective with highly visible boot designs that have never been seen before. We want to become the talk of the World Cup by being bold and provocative, giving fans a product they can have an opinion about. With a collection that is only worn during the Champions League Final and World Cup, Battle Pack is going to command attention.

Why did you choose the Black/White color combo?

The colouring ties in to the wider World Cup campaign, “all in or nothing” – it is do or die at the World Cup. We want the boots to stand out on the pitch – everyone expects a tournament in Brazil to be full of green, yellow and other bright colours. We felt this was predictable so we chose to be different with each boot exactly 50% white and 50% black. The Black/White design also resembles the iconic Copacabana beach paving pattern in Rio, perfected by Roberto Burle Marx.

Why are the stripes Orange/Gold?

The Orange/Gold adidas three stripes represent the gold of the World Cup trophy, and the fire from the football gods, as the players prepare for battle.

Where did the name come from and how did this inspire the design?

The name Battle Pack symbolises the story of the boots. Apart from the black and white elements, the boot design has been inspired by the war paint patterns on the faces of native warriors from history and legend. ‘Battle Pack’ will intimidate opponents as the players fight for victory in Brazil.

Are there any new features?

The Predator Instinct is the boot with the most new developments, where we have added a friction control element that extends to the outsole to guarantee more control. Also, Predator is the only boot that is white on black, as opposed to the others in a black on white design. This is in line with our release of a new predator boot at every World Cup since 1994, so it is important to us for the Predator to have a point of difference. 

How would you want this collection to be remembered?

We want the boots to be remembered as synonymous with the World Cup in Brazil and for igniting adidas’ new era in football. Our aim is for Battle Pack to be seen as iconic and memorable to all football fans around the world.

Approximately how long have you been working on Battle Pack?

adidas has been working on Battle Pack since April 2012, so over two years. We spent longer than usual on this range as it is such a special collection for this once-in-a-lifetime tournament. For the initial design phase we had two adidas teams working independently, one at adidas HQ in Germany and the other in Portland, USA. The boot designs have been tested extensively to ensure they stand out on pitch.

Have you had any feedback from the players?

The boots were kept quite secret for a while but now that the majority of players have seen them they have been really impressed and inspired by them. The entire roster of adidas players will be wearing them at the World Cup and the reaction in the testing and delivery of the product has been incredibly positive.