Behind the Scenes of SNS GT II

It all starts with great product

To understand how the SNS GT II took shape, we spoke with Eyüp Alkan & Joe Ling from the adidas Consortium team, two of the key minds behind bringing this vision to life.​

The GT II carried a lot of weight before it even existed. How did you approach that?​

“We approached the GT II with a deep sense of responsibility, fully aware of its cultural impact and the expectations set by the first series. The objective was never to repeat success, but to evolve the legacy. Every decision needed to reinforce what GT stands for, while strengthening the SNS mark through a product that felt both authentic and progressive.”​

How did you go about finding the right silhouette?​

“We began by auditing a broad range of silhouettes from the archive. It was critical that the foundation came from the more obscure terrace archive and spoke directly to the GT community. Hand II, Indoor PT, Universal SL, and Malmo Net were all evaluated through the lens of relevance and proportion. The Malmo Net ultimately stood out - it offered the right balance of familiarity and design construction to carry the GT II identity with credibility.”​

And once the silhouette was locked, what did the design process look like?​

“From there, the work was about refinement rather than reinvention. We introduced precise tweaks to ensure the silhouette could confidently hold GT II branding and perform in a contemporary context. Ultimately, this design pays homage to Scandinavian city silhouettes.”​

The colour world

For the concept, colour world and materials, I sat down with Johan Undén, former Creative Director at Sneakersnstuff. Johan was involved from the very beginning, and nobody understands the DNA of this project better.​

I still remember the first time we saw the shoe. It just clicked. Would you agree?

“Absolutely. Working with the adidas Malmö upper and the Handball Spezial sole was a great call - it gave us such a strong foundation to build from, and the freedom to explore different materials. The result felt like a classic from the moment it came together.”​

So the base was set. But where did the colour inspiration come from?​

“Our internal working title for this project was the SNS GT II World Tour. Since it was launching during 2024 - SNS 25th anniversary year - we wanted to take the GT II on a journey around the world and tie it to music. In our first meeting with the adidas Consortium team, we agreed to draw inspiration from something close to home: the vibrant rave scene in Stockholm during the 90s. It felt deeply connected to the SNS GT customer - people who may well have lived through it themselves. So we started digging into rave flyers from that era, and that's where we found our colour world.”

SNS GT II 1st Edition a.k.a. "London"

Launched: May 2024​
Activation: London
​Materials:​ Nylon​ and Suede​​

Internal notes: ​Our sample comment was "nothing to add looks amazing" ​

The “Almost Pink” details are as good as the name of the color. ​​​

SNS GT II 2nd Edition a.k.a. "Berlin"

Launched: September 2024
Activation: Berlin

​Materials: ​Balistic Nylon and ​Suede

Internal notes: ​The balistic nylon with those suede overlays….​That hits like having Todd Terry playing in our basement club in Berlin

SNS GT II 3rd Edition

Launched: November 2024​
Activation: Paris​
Materials:​ Cordura and ​Suede​

Internal notes: ​Cordura Burgundy base, with orange hits. ​​These are so nice that the Ed Banger guys wanted it twice.

SNS GT II 4th Edition

Launched: May 2025​
Activation: Berlin​
Materials: ​ZX inspired pinstripe, mesh and​ Suede​

​Internal Notes: ​The ZX pinstripe gives this a real "if you know you know" feel to the GT II.

SNS GT II 5th Edition

Launched: June 2025​
Activation: Stockholm​
Materials: ​BUTTER SUEDE

​​Internal Notes: ​We imagined this one as a sun faded luxury version of the Malmö colorway. The pink detail almost makes it look like an ice cream that I want to wear and eat?​​Jawnino and our friends of Stockholm made a night at Spice99 special.

SNS GT II 6th Edition

Launched: September 2025​
Activation: Seen on Goldie​
Materials:​ Breathy mesh and ​Suede overlays

Internal Notes: ​The purple Handball Spezial tooling really creates a nice depth in the shoe. Goldie approved!

SNS GT II 7th Edition

Launched: October 2025
​Activation: London​
Materials: ​It’s GORE-TEX

​​Internal Notes: ​GORE-TEX, GORE-TEX, GORE-TEX. ​​SNS GT II is finally weather, pints & other spiritsproof.

Check the reel at Instagram

Enter Viagra Boys

Johan, how did the Viagra Boys conversation first come about?​

"We had an idea about approaching Viagra Boys about doing a project around the adidas tracksuits - since that's something you see Sebbe wearing all the time. The funny thing is that YEAR0001 pitched the same idea to adidas at exactly the same time. One thing led to another, and after talking to Oskar Ekman at YEAR0001, we were connected with their creative team. Sometimes magic just happens. We pitched adding the SNS GT II to the mix, and it took five minutes for Joe to mockup the concept. Boom - two future classics."​

​And that's exactly what they became. Before anything went public, SNS and Viagra Boys took care of the people closest to us first with the SNS GT II x Viagra Boys Friends & Family Edition, just 150 pairs in an exclusive shrimp tech green striped colorway.

Then came the main release

The shoe itself - clean white stripes on a soft tumbled black leather base with velour suede overlays, aka a classic at first glance. It had it all, people chasing a truck through Södermalm, a sold out Globen and the finale of the SNS GT II.​​

Made for the fans, by SNS x adidas & VB.

So...

Eight releases, two years, and countless memories later, the adidas SNS GT II story is complete. The entire project was truly something special. Thank you to the Swedish adidas team, YEAR0001 and Johan, Eyup & Joe for making it what it was. ​​AND to the loyals who've been with us from the start – THANK YOU!​

PS. All good things come in three.​..

/Max