A SPEZIAL Collection from adidas – adidas Originals X SPEZIAL

Screen Shot 2014-10-27 at 14.44.25In 2013 adidas held an exhibition to celebrate all things Adidas and showcased the product collections of some of its most passionate fans. It was a major success and it’s ‘SPEZIAL’ title has since come to represent the very essence of the adidas brand to fans and collectors alike.

The project was curated by long time, 3 stripe devotee Gary Aspden, honestly what Gary doesn’t know about adidas isn’t worth knowing, trust me. After the overwhelming response to the exhibition he put forward an idea to work with the adidas team in Herzogenaurach, birth town of adidas, to come up with a new, archive inspired, adidas Originals capsule collection of clothing and footwear. From this proposal the adidas Originals x SPEZIAL range was born.

Screen Shot 2014-10-27 at 14.45.19The adidas Originals x SPEZIAL range is not solely about the engineered science of performance sportswear, the cross over of high fashion luxury brands and sports wear or the nostalgia for one to one vintage reproductions. Whilst adidas is fundamentally a sportswear company, it has always had a rich history in leisurewear dating back over 40 years to the era of Adi Dassler himself. The adidas Originals x SPEZIAL collaboration is a modern collection that pays its respects to all these areas without being solely dedicated to any one of them. It offers a range of clothing and footwear range that provides an updated, contemporary and premium vision of adidas.

The collection includes twelve iconic vintage adidas apparel pieces (e.g. the Beckenbauer tracksuit) that are re-designed and re-invented in premium fabrics and modern cuts. Plus, the footwear takes four classic adidas silhouettes and tweaks them whilst retaining the brand’s DNA. The upper patterns are re-worked and new hybrid shoes marrying up different elements of much loved iconic styles are created.

Aspden says of the collection; “Growing up in the north west of England in the 70s and 80s adidas was (and still is) the brand we all gravitated towards. I have been a fan ever since. I grew up loving the sophistication of European sportswear brands.The adidas Originals x SPEZIAL collection is about identifying and utilizing those elements (beyond the three stripes) of the adidas design personality that are unique to this brand.”

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Now there’s an original pair of shades – Adidas Originals eyewear

Screen Shot 2013-05-14 at 16.47.19We all like to stand out from the crowd, OK, not in a stupid way, but you know what I mean !  And with the new customize project from Adidas Originals Eyewear, thats exactly what you can do. There are millions of combinations to choose from – and that’s just the beginning.

Those clever lil sportswear designers at Adidas HQ wanted us to be able to express our own individual style, through the mode of Sunglasses. Sick of when the sun, finally, shows its almost forgotten face in these parts, being confronted with a sea of Aviator style and Wayfarer-esque sunnies. They took inspiration from everyday life. Thinking, how cool would it be to coordinate your sunglasses to every outfit in your wardrobe ? They drew inspiration from the latest trends, presenting fresh takes on the styles of the 50s, 70s and 80s-(I don’t know why they disliked the 60’s and 90’s)­‐ and a new concept rapidly emerged, paving the way for millions of combinations of customize eyewear.

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The online configurator on the adidas Originals eyewear website allows you to give free rein to your creativity and design your own sunglasses. Mix and match temples, frames and filters according to your preferred shapes and colours. When your design is complete, you can view the final effect in the virtual mirror. All you need is a webcam. Alternatively, you can download a smartphone app. The virtual mirror helps you to quickly decide whether you have found the perfect style or need to experiment a little more.