Picking apart the anatomy of a killer shoe is something that comes easily at adidas Originals. In the past two years, the sportswear giant have seen fashionistas, hip-hop heads and creative directors (we’re looking at you Phoebe and Raf) don Stan Smith’s and Superstars in the brand’s unstoppable revival. Popping up on the front row as well as dwelling on downtown hipsters, adidas, without question, have got the keys to what makes a classic. An impressive event space on George V in Paris for Menswear week was home to the brand’s presentation of their new Tubular shoe styles, the Nova, Doom, X and Defiant. Parkour artists scaled the horizontal ceiling pillars to music by Michel Gaubert, casting by i-D’s own Angus Munro and the show masterminded by show producer Etienne Russo.
We pinned down adidas Originals’ VP of Global Design Nic Galway on why to expect the Tubular to be just as iconic as its predecessors.
The space looks really amazing and impressive, it’s really experiential. Why did you choose to show the shoes on parkour artists?
We were talking about how you present sneakers; it’s not about the appearance, it’s about the sneakers, it’s fashion week, but somehow it’s a mix between fashion and street wear and the role sneakers play, it’s so important and we were thinking how you can present that in a different way.
It’s very interesting that you did decide to show during menswear week, don’t you feel like sneakers are becoming so much more of a part of that space? Is that something you think about when you are designing?
Yes. For me it’s really interesting to see how in the past you knew who’s going to buy what product, and you could categorise somehow, today that’s gone. Shoes like the Tubular, it tracks people from all areas. It’s really interesting to see how they adopt it and dress it, it’s just a complete change; and it doesn’t matter who’s wearing it, it just has this progressive feeling and it’s really cool to see.
It’s also transcended. Now you will see a girl and she could be wearing something quintessentially chic and she is wearing it sneakers, it’s no longer a little bit of taboo or considered dress down, it’s actually almost really cool that she has all these different facets of her personality.
It’s somehow what makes people look effortless, sometimes if you are too dressed, it says something, when you put on a Stan Smith, you change your look and it just settles a bit.
The last year and a half to 2 years had been really quite definitive for adidas. The brand has transcended into a kind of new space and the world is falling in love with adidas all over again. Why do you think that is?
People love us because of our heritage and history, it’s undeniable in this industry, that’s what attracts people like me to work here, because what could you do without legacy. I have been a long time in adidas, 15, 16 years; I think there is a real momentum now that people are really confident and believe in what we stand for. Everything we do treats it with the respect it should have; bringing back the Stan Smith, positioning where it should be, which is an icon; when we do something new, like Tubular, really be progressive, and be confident that we are the brand that can do that, and that’s the change for us.
What do you think Tubular brings to the footwear arena that’s currently missing?
Everyone loves classic sneakers and that’s great, but I felt there was a need for the band to step up and bring something new, which is very important when you work for a brand like adidas. Sometimes people think the legacy of adidas is the Stan Smith or the Superstar, but it’s not. It’s the pioneering spirit which we created them. Each of these shoes were ground-breaking in their own decades, and I feel that, as the head of Originals, it’s up to me to keep that going, that’s when I have to bring the products.
How did you approach making this shoe?
I approached it from two sides. I’m very curious, I like making things, I draw a lot, but I also make the first prototypes, sew them myself, because I think when you do that you really explore the formed silhouette, you go beyond just the line on the shoe and you really think about how would this make someone feel when they wear it. But I’ve really connected with culture and fashion, and I see the opportunity to bring those together because fashion brand can focus on one, and sports brand traditionally focus on the other, and when you really mix these together it’s unique and really cool.
Was the shape of the shoe or any elements of the shoe inspired by anything in particular or?
I took a look into our archive; we have the most amazing archive, shoes from beginning of our company all the way through.It’s almost like a museum, everything is conditioned, and the shoes are perfect, and we can go there to be inspired. What I said to my designers is, don’t treat it like a museum, treat it as a resource, because there is so much in there. We picked the tubular from the early 90s, this was the starting point, and then we discussed what didn’t work on that shoe, because it was so progressive, it was too far ahead than this time. And we say rather than trying to recreate the shoe, let’s think what was in their head, what they wanted to achieve, this is how we approached it. But then we also take we call collective memory and what is interesting about the shoe and some of the aesthetic which people connect with.
How do you think Adidas will continue to innovate?
We are in sportswear; innovation is often looked as technology. And that’s one part of innovation. For example working with Pharrell doing the supercolor, 50 colours of a classic, this is innovating, it is innovative in a different way, it’s not a technology, but the idea of showing and giving that democratic choice is an innovation. So I see innovation or collective memory as I said, that’s what surrounds Originals, Originals for me is a culture brand, and there are so many things I can take from that, we can do progressive fashion like Tubular, we can do the Stan, we can do the one to one Retros, and take many parts, I mean who else has that? That’s what I love about adidas. I’ve had all these fantastic opportunities in this company. When I joined, I was a product designer, and a year later I sat front row at Yohji’s show, what an incredible world. I just love the respect Adidas gives to the people we collaborate with, like Kanye, Pharrell, Yohji and Rick Owens. There’s trust there and we never endorse product we really collaborate, there is a risk in that, but I think people respect it. If you like it or dislike it, if you see that someone is true. Then it’s a good thing.
Credits
Text Lynette Nylander