ADIDAS x WALES BONNER _ JAPAN
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I have a profound admiration for Grace Wales Bonner’s work,
particularly because everything she does seems to gravitate around three beautiful ideas :
Elegance, Authenticity and Energy.
When the idea came to design a shoe together, I couldn’t be more excited as I knew this would be the kind of project that would reveal the best of both worlds. It has been a very interesting project and I am super proud of how the shoe turned out, very minimal as well as very true to the adidas brand and Wales Bonner's vision.
When the idea came to design a shoe together, I couldn’t be more excited as I knew this would be the kind of project that would reveal the best of both worlds. It has been a very interesting project and I am super proud of how the shoe turned out, very minimal as well as very true to the adidas brand and Wales Bonner's vision.
" Continuing their collaborative output, Grace Wales Bonner has reached back into the adidas Originals' archives to put her spin on the German sportswear label’s heritage styles. Concluding a trilogy of collections, where SS21 and AW20 concentrated on the 70s, the designer’s lens focusses on the 80s for AW21. The garments are the result of a reflection on diasporic radical thinkers of the time. This includes scholars, poets, and artists that pioneered a postcolonial discourse from a non-western perspective."
Highsnobiety
New upper on existing adidas Japan outsole
Creative direction : Grace Wales Bonner
CAM design support : Maarika Karm
development : Echo Volz Suhong
product manager : Olivia Fernandez, Tobi Gbile
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2021
Fall Winter 2021
" While still informed by Afro-Atlantic heritage, the Wales Bonner Japan welcomes the 80's and the Jamaican and Indian intellectuals who migrated to the UK and influenced the art and educational communities. In this collection adidas and Wales Bonner offer two unique takes on the adidas Japan that pay homage to the 80's but with an elevated material and color story. "
" Wales Bonner delivers an elevated take on archival codes with new iteration of the adidas Japan that pays homage to the 1970/80s "
" Seemingly the most luxurious pair of the collection, this colourway is crafted using a soft, premium, cream-white leather.
A beige suede is draped over the toebox and heel, while a dark brown covers the heel tab, tongue lining and three stripes. A knitted cotton tongue adds to Wales Bonner’s distinctive retro style and the trainer is completed with brown stitching to the heel. "
" Launching together with a Tyler Mitchell shot campaign, nostalgia is formed through imagery taken on a summer’s afternoon. Creating an idyllic space of leisure where the themes of freedom and brotherhood are explored. "
thank you
