Brand Experience | Adidas
‘Sneakerhead’ is the term given to somebody who collects sneakers, and as any one of them I can tell you, Adidas is at the forefront of that culture. In the 1980's the Superstar shoe – which launched in 1969 - was forever canonized into the cultural consciousness when Run DMC committed to an anti-pop, non-conformist policy of dressing on stage exactly as they did on the street, sporting their Adidas Superstars and even dedicating their loyalty in the song "My Adidas." Whether it's a trickle up effect from subway station break dancers in New York or a trickle down effect from the hip-hop stages of the world, Adidas has made an undeniable contribution to the style codes of outsider subcultures, giving shoes worn by their leaders a power like that of holy relics. Today, Adidas is regarded with an almost cult-like reverence.
Spezial is a new exhibition from Adidas opening tonight in London, bringing together over 600 pairs of cult designs. Curated by Gary Aspden, a long-time fan and collector who ended up working for Adidas as a consultant, the show also includes never before seen exclusives and signed samples from notable hip-hop stars like Run DMC, Nas, Eminem, Public Enemy and more. Here, Aspden gives us an exclusive preview of the exhibition.
Spezial is a new exhibition from Adidas opening tonight in London, bringing together over 600 pairs of cult designs. Curated by Gary Aspden, a long-time fan and collector who ended up working for Adidas as a consultant, the show also includes never before seen exclusives and signed samples from notable hip-hop stars like Run DMC, Nas, Eminem, Public Enemy and more. Here, Aspden gives us an exclusive preview of the exhibition.
DD: It’s great to see the Hacienda collection…Gary Aspden: We actually only produced 300 pairs with Peter Saville and Ben Kelly. He created the box in the same shape as the dancefloor, which is kind of ironic because it looks a bit like a coffin. Actually, the funny thing was when I was at home and I dug this out - they were Haçienda floor plans and all the shoes came wrapped in them. We got all the people that worked on it to sign it.
DD: Adidas has come to be so associated with music and pop culture. Have there been any defining moments for you?Gary Aspden: Well, what I wanted to illustrate in the catalogue for the exhibition is that Adidas’s connection to music culture pre-dates hip-hop. You know, hip-hop has become a dominant force in global culture, but Adidas’s association with music and adoption of music culture actually pre-dates that.You had the reggae artists in the 70s, most famously Bob Marley wearing Adidas, The Clash, Paul Cook from the Sex Pistols and Jim Morrison playing tag football in the 1970s with his Adidas shoes. Even David Bowie. There’s like a wealth of it and for somebody like me who kind of grew up on it I really picked up on those things. In the 70s, there were lots of working class youths in the North of England who were listening to post-punk and they were adopting these things.https://youtu.be/EzaqexpPG24
DD: Adidas has come to be so associated with music and pop culture. Have there been any defining moments for you?Gary Aspden: Well, what I wanted to illustrate in the catalogue for the exhibition is that Adidas’s connection to music culture pre-dates hip-hop. You know, hip-hop has become a dominant force in global culture, but Adidas’s association with music and adoption of music culture actually pre-dates that.You had the reggae artists in the 70s, most famously Bob Marley wearing Adidas, The Clash, Paul Cook from the Sex Pistols and Jim Morrison playing tag football in the 1970s with his Adidas shoes. Even David Bowie. There’s like a wealth of it and for somebody like me who kind of grew up on it I really picked up on those things. In the 70s, there were lots of working class youths in the North of England who were listening to post-punk and they were adopting these things.https://youtu.be/EzaqexpPG24