Pokémon x adidas: the 30th anniversary collection adds character leather jackets

Pokémon x adidas: the 30th anniversary collection adds character leather jackets

The adidas Pokémon anniversary collection is growing beyond footwear. Three leather 8-ball jackets have gone on sale, at $280 each, featuring Gengar, Charizard and Pikachu. The rest of the collection, footwear included, lands on 22 September.

• Three jackets at $280 each, in men's sizing only

• Characters: Gengar, Charizard and Pikachu, each with its own colour blocking

• Graphics are tufted rather than printed, giving real texture

• Currently exclusive to Dick's Sporting Goods, meaning the United States

• The wider adidas release comes later, with footwear arriving 22 September

How the jackets look

All three share a construction and a base: black and leather-look, with character-specific colour blocking across the shoulders and sleeves.

Gengar pairs purple with black and runs red Three Stripes. Charizard shifts to orange across the shoulders and sleeves. Pikachu takes a yellow finish with red striping.

The most interesting part is the execution. The backs carry oversized character graphics done in a tufted, chenille-style finish rather than a standard print. That gives a texture you can feel and sets these apart from ordinary merch.

Add Poké Ball patches on the arms, adidas Trefoil branding at the chest, small Pokémon marks at the upper back and further embroidered detailing.

The catch

Worth stating plainly, because most coverage skips it.

The jackets are currently available only at Dick's Sporting Goods, an American sporting goods chain with no UK presence. The exclusivity is temporary and adidas is expected to release them more widely later in the year, but no date has been given.

For a buyer here that means one thing: there is no way to buy them through normal retail yet. The options are waiting for the wider release or going through a reseller, which on a $280 item adds shipping and duty on top.

Footwear lands 22 September

This part of the collection is far larger and has a confirmed date.

Footwear goes on sale on 22 September, with reports pointing to twelve to fifteen pairs across adult and kids' sizing. This is a full seasonal rollout rather than a two-pair capsule.

Prices sit between $110 and $180, though some sources give a wider $100 to $200 range. Silhouettes include the Superstar, Pro Model, Samba OG, Handball Spezial, ZX 8000, Adistar XLG 2.0 and Megaride F50.

The character roster is strong: Pikachu appears three times, Mewtwo covers three silhouettes, and the full evolutionary lines of Charmander and Gastly are included alongside Rayquaza.

We covered that side of the collection in more detail in a separate article.

Why the scale matters

What separates this project from other anniversary tie-ins is its size.

PUMA and Crocs have both marked the Pokémon 30th anniversary this year, but each kept to smaller capsules. More than a dozen pairs across eight silhouettes, plus an apparel line, is something else entirely.

The price ladder says something too. Footwear from around $110 alongside $280 jackets suggests adidas is aiming at the broad Pokémon audience rather than the sneaker-collector niche alone.

Where to buy

The jackets are not in UK retail yet, but the collection's footwear reaches adidas stockists on 22 September. These are worth watching:

• BSTN

• Solebox

• END.

• Sneakersnstuff

• size?

• Offspring

The click through Soleback has to be the last one before the shop, and cashback clears once the returns window closes.

Our promotions section is worth checking too.

What to watch for

The jackets come in men's sizing only. All three colourways launched that way, so there is no women's or kids' version.

$280 is a US price. On a European release the sterling figure will land above a straight conversion, and buying through a reseller adds shipping and duty.

No date for the wider release. adidas has said later in the year and nothing more. On temporary exclusives those timelines often move.

Footwear and apparel are two separate dates. The jackets are already selling in the States, the shoes arrive on 22 September. The two are easy to confuse.

FAQ

How much are the jackets?

$280 each, across all three colourways.

Which characters are on them?

Gengar, Charizard and Pikachu, each with its own colour scheme over a black base.

Can I buy them in the UK?

Not yet. Sales run exclusively through the US chain Dick's Sporting Goods, with a wider adidas release expected later in the year.

When does the footwear arrive?

22 September 2026, priced from roughly $110 to $180.

How many shoes are in the collection?

Reports range from twelve to fifteen pairs, in adult and kids' sizing.

How do the graphics differ from a normal print?

The character images on the back are tufted, a chenille-style finish that gives a texture you can feel.

In summary

The jackets are more interesting than the concept alone suggests, mostly because of how they are made. A tufted back graphic is considerably more work than a print, and adidas has clearly treated this part of the collection seriously.

Availability is the problem. The American retail exclusive means a buyer here has to wait or overpay through a reseller. If the collection appeals, the footwear arriving 22 September is the more sensible target, since distribution there will be normal.