This Japan-Exclusive adidas Collaboration Is Inspired By Kyoto

Anniversaries are a drumbeat of this year that, frankly, we’ve spoken about more times than we can possibly count. While actual footwear manufacturers’ x-year celebrations have taken center stage, we can’t discount their retail partners in that mix. For their part, size? genuinely surprised us back in June, bolstering their special make-up series with a three-headed collaboration, pulling in Japanese counterpart Billy’s for an ocean-crossing link-up on the adidas Sapporo (presented as the adidas München).

In similar fashion, the three partners present a rejoinder to that Summer edition with the Billy’s x size? x adidas Kyoto — in truth, a modification of the adidas Tobacco. The appearance of the casual silhouette is noteworthy in and of itself, but the two imprints each work up their own colorways for the model, pulling from disparate pieces of Kyoto culture. In brown and blue, the sneaker follows the city’s tradition of dimly lit jazz clubs, coated in refined shades for the majority as a result, before splaying out in neon green and pink on the Three Stripes and heel cup. Contrastingly, its counterpart draws from matcha parlors and moss-covered gardens.

Either pair in the Billy’s x size? x adidas Kyoto collection is exclusive to the two retailers. Billy’s will drop their stock via a pre-order that opens on November 15th before a more traditional launch on November 21st. Details for size?’s half of the equation are unclear at the time of publication.

Written by

Matt Varga, Junior Editor

Matt Varga is an Editor at SneakerNews. Initially earning a degree in Video Arts and Technology, he got his start in video editing and writing in the music world — primarily on hip-hop and electronic. A long-standing interest in sneakers led him to switching over to footwear. An avid collector, his favorite sneaker of all time comes down to either the Air Jordan 1 “Black Toe” and Air Jordan 5 “Laney,” his first ever pick-ups. When he’s not writing, you can find Matt cooking, traveling, attending concerts and when weather permits, on the handball court.