adidas Global Category Director Talks Predator 24

Following two special edition drops — the Predator 30 and the Predstrike collection — adidas has officially released, named, and confirmed the latest model of the Predator franchise: the Predator 24. A nod to the boot that started it all three decades ago, it dropped as the headline act from the adidas Solar Energy pack, uniting pure 90s nostalgia with the relentless performance of today to create a boot for a whole new generation of goalscorers.

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The design inspiration behind the Predator 24 sparked from the proposition: “what would the Predator look and feel like if it was first launched today?” The result is a combination of the DNA iconic to the early Predator releases, including the famed fold over tongue that evolved to the Mania favourite that's homaged here, and the tri-colour palette, which returns with a contemporary twist.

Arriving on the 30th anniversary year since the release of the OG Predator and with such a rich archive from which to draw upon, the Predator 24 already has so much story contained within that we just had to find out more direct from source. So where better to go than adidas HQ in Herzogenaurach, where we spoke with Global Category Director at adidas Football footwear, Mahsa Aryan.

Can you talk us through the Predator 24 – obviously there’s a lot of focus on the return of the fold over tongue, but there’s much more to it…?

There's a lot more to it. Whenever we start creating any Predator or any boots really, we always go down to our archive, which is just impressive on its own. But what we do is we start there because we want to get nostalgic about everything that the boots have represented in the past. Both from a design point of view, but from a technical point of view, as well as who scored in them? How did they do it? And then we really get into reminiscing.

But then what we did for The Predator coming back for 30 years, what we did is we really started asking ourselves a different questions, and that was: what if Predator was created in 2024 rather than in 1994? So we started to speak to a lot of our pro players and they told us what was so important to us at this stage, is comfort and light weight. So everything that we did, aside from the very iconic design that you can now see, was focused on making sure that it was super comfortable – as soon as you put on your feet you're ready to play – but also that it was super lightweight. So all the different tech features, all the different design elements that were used were focused on making it lightweight and comfortable.

"Whenever we start creating any Predator or any boots really, we always go down to our archive, which is just impressive on its own; we start there because we want to get nostalgic about everything that the boots have represented in the past"

The jump back to a more nostalgic aesthetic is very apparent from what went before with recent models. How much did the 30th anniversary of the Predator influence that?

Very much – you can instantly see the Accelerator branding coming through and that was not by accident by any means. We had a lot of conversations looking at the archive at what was the most iconic boot for us. So, a lot of that DNA comes through.

We also had a lot of conversations about the colourway, because, you know, black, white, red, obviously being the most iconic version of the Predator, but what we wanted to do is bring it into 2024. So we made a solar yellow, solar red, and basically had those being the defining features rather than make it purely black, white, burgundy red.

You mentioned the Three Stripe execution on the Predator 30 looking very much Accelerator-inspired – how and why did that come about?

It's funny, I think in the design world it's very rare in that you have so many creatives diverging and having different conversations about what they prefer and what is iconic to each person. What was very interesting is that every single one of us really thought that the most iconic one was the Accelerator. So it was almost – given all the other decisions we had to make on the boot – putting in the Accelerator branding was one of the easiest decisions.

"You can instantly see the Accelerator branding coming through and that was not by accident by any means"

How do you gauge the success of a boot, is it through player performance, fan reaction, a mixture of both or something else?

It's absolutely a mixture of both. I think it really does start off with making sure our pro players want to play in the boot. And that, for me, has been the most exciting part. We haven't even needed to explain the boots. We just had conversations and put it in front of pro players and automatically the response has been "can I play in this right now please". So the hardest part was actually keeping it away from pro players, and saying "no, in a couple of months, hold tight".

For us, it's about making sure they're happy with what is the most important tool at their disposal. That's obviously critically important. After that, seeing it on the pitch and really seeing it come to life and then hopefully with kids wearing it all across the world. That would be the next exciting part for us.

It must feel special knowing that you're part of influencing the next generation so directly?

Absolutely. It really is. It comes from a personal place as well, because I used to play in The Predator and I still remember that really incredible feeling that comes over you when you're like, I can handle this game because I have these boots on.

"Black, white, red is obviously the most iconic colourway of the Predator, but what we wanted to do is bring it into 2024"

Do you get nervous when a new boot is revealed?

It's a plethora of different emotions. So, yeah, excitement, nervous, proud. And what becomes the most exciting part of it is how many different people reach out to say they played in it and to say how good it was. So yeah, it's a mixture of feelings and it's all pretty special.

What’s it like waking up everyday and knowing you’re working on something that has such a deep history and that also has such a profound effect on people throughout the world?

It's been very fun. I'd say. It's also been a big source of pride, not just for myself, but for the team as a whole. The idea of working on something that's just so iconic and that has meant so many things to so many different people, taking that and bringing it into the new generation and spreading that across the world, that in itself is just incredibly rewarding.

The Predator is obviously hugely important to adidas, but what does the Predator mean to you personally?

Tough question. It means many things for me. I used to play in them, so personally I had an affinity for what they stood for, which was just an incredibly versatile, comfortable boot to play in. But then obviously so many greats also played in it, so you also felt like if you put it on, you had to show what you've got. So they've been a personal favourite of mine for many, many years.

You obviously feel very passionately about the boot. What’s your earliest memory of the Predator?

When I look back into it, it's probably that Zidane volley. That just sticks out in my mind. It was just a work of art. It's like you're not watching football. You're watching a masterpiece unfold in front of your eyes.

What’s your favourite Predator of all time?

The Accelerator, absolutely hands down. The Mania comes very close, but I think it's the chunky Three Stripes that I just absolutely love.

And your favourite Predator player?

Of the past, I'd say definitely Zidane. I absolutely adore him and I had the pleasure of meeting him, which was pretty much a highlight of my life, I would say. After that, I'd say Bellingham. You can't say enough about him. He's so talented, so down to earth. And I also had the conversation very early on with Alessia Russo and she was just as incredible. What was a really fun little tidbit for her was that, when I showed this to her, she was like, "wow, this looks like Predators going back to what Predator was and what made it special. If I had the opportunity to design A boot, it would be exactly like this."