The 66-year-old German company Adidas has gone off on a new, ultra-mod tangent, one that it hopes will help it to leap frog a few market shares over Nike, et. al. this year. (Not that the German company is struggling -- it pulled in a healthy $14.88 billion in 2012.)

In August, Adidas will one-up its lifelong Swoosh-y rival by offering an iOS and Android app that will allow consumers to create sneakers using their own Instagram photos.

"Print your favorite photos straight on to one of 2014's hottest silhouettes and make a statement on your sneakers like never before," Adidas teases on its Instagram page. The company's popular ZX Flux will serve as a blank canvas for your creation -- however wild or run of the mill you want it to be.

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Sneaker fans know that both Nike and Converse have afforded customers the option to customize shoe colors and combos for years but this new technology, according to several cognoscenti and more than a couple of noted bloggers, is "game changing."

Do you agree?