Here's a story you wouldn't expect: Portland's famous airport carpet is getting its own basketball shoe.
If you've never been to Portland, this probably makes no sense. But to locals, the vintage 1980s carpet at Portland International Airport has become a cult hit, with travelers frequently stopping to take pictures of their feet on the dated but loved carpet.
That vested interest in the airport's flooring has inspired the popular hashtag #pdxcarpet, which documents the hundreds of pictures PDX visitors have taken. Now, as the airport slowly trades out this old carpet for a more modern look, its signature pattern is being preserved in a new basketball shoe from Adidas.
The shoe will be a part of Portland Trail Blazer Damian Lillard's collection, and its mock-ups are fantastic: Bright teal with subtle geometric patterns all across. But scrap concerns about the design for a moment and just consider this: an airport now has its own basketball shoe.
Design fiends have to be in love with this, and the shoes can add themselves to an already-impressive collection of shirts and other online goods that prominently display the PDX carpet pattern.
Lillard's shoe will hit stores Saturday. Expect them to be a huge hit in Portland.
