Across the world, adidas Originals are synonymous with emerging subcultures, adopted by creatives and their audiences alike as a versatile outlet for their unique style and sensibility. The brand is well aware of this – see: last year’s A to Z of streetwear, in collaboration with Zalando – and is set to shine a spotlight on no less than 1,000 ‘Originals’ across the world for SS24, exploring how its clothes are worn by real people, and woven into their real lives.
Acknowledging three of the brand’s iconic styles – Samba, Gazelle, and Spezial – an all-new adidas Originals collection reflects on the sneakers’ cultural legacy in the past and present. Brought to life via energetic visuals directed by Vincent Haycock, the short film demonstrates how different communities, identities, and subcultures have made the styles their own – a single shoe worn in a thousand ways.
Available now on Zalando, the collection features three styles alongside sporty sartorial options to pair with them. Think three-striped tracksuit tops, boxer-baring baggy jeans, and reworked football shirts in bold stripes across both the menswear and womenswear collections.
Celebrating local scenes and their creative communities also comes to the fore at an upcoming adidas x Zalando event, held at Chausseestraße 131 in Berlin. Dubbed the adidas x Zalando Sound Bar, the main focus of the event will be a series of immersive listening sessions, paired with light installations and motion visuals designed by local artists, to bring together the cutting edge of music, art and contemporary culture. In other words: move over painting and sculpture, art is for our ears now too.
More specifically, the April 18 event will kick off with “spheric sound sessions” that can be enjoyed standing or sitting on comfy floor pillows. Cosy! Then, the Sound Bar’s vibe will evolve via energetic DJ sets, with the night rounded out by a vibrant party, all curated by the creative collective Rathaus. Elsewhere, an installation celebrating the aforementioned 1,000 Originals and upcycled sculptures that lift inspiration from the adidas Originals archive.
Want to experience a creative coming-together amid the atmospheric audio of the adidas Originals x Zalando Sound Bar on April 18? Make sure to book tickets, which are free but limited, via Resident Advisor.
