NYLON Magazine - September 2007 - (Page 82) WINNER’S CIRCLE SURE, YOU WARMED THE BENCH WEARING ADIDAS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL BUT, THANKS TO THE BRAND’S ORIGINALS LABEL, YOU’LL SCORE AGAIN THIS FALL. BY KATE WILLIAMS. PHOTOGRAPHED BY DAN MARTENSEN When it comes to brands that hold a permanent spot in pop culture consciousness, few can compete with adidas. In 1986, Run-DMC rapped about their adidas Superstars and prompted concert halls of kids to stand in their socks as they held their shoes to the sky. Almost 20 years later, a Southern rapper named Killer Mike released a song called “A.D.I.D.A.S,” a play on the elementary-school myth that adidas actually stands for “All Day I Dream About Sex” (it doesn’t). Still, as much as adidas is a fixture everywhere from MTV to the mall, its three-stripe logo has also been a serious presence in sports history since the line’s founder, Adi Dassler, first outfitted German athletes for the 1928 Olympic games. Today, the not-unpleasant task of balancing an athletic heritage with a fashion following falls to the trend-focused subdivision, adidas Originals. “Originals mixes modern streetwear with looks from the past,” says adidas spokesman Ben Pruess. “A lot of our customers had a childhood love affair with adidas, so Originals represents the connections that people have with the brand.” While Pruess acknowledges that Originals relies on certain adidas signatures such as track jackets and color combinations like black and white, each Originals collection is widely divergent, putting forth limited-edition lines such as Ali by adidas, honoring Muhammad Ali, and the RESPECT ME collaboration with Missy Elliott. Highlights from this season’s adidas Originals include luxurious hooded knit sweaters, belted pants reminiscent of 1920s aviator styles, and an expansive Materials of the World line, reflecting the regional dress in several emerging market areas. Materials of the World features a traditional Canadian Cowichan sweater adorned with triple-striped maple leaves, Inuit-inspired menswear with styles borrowed from the indigenous people of Greenland, and a hot-pink-and-black floral print drawn from the traditional costumes of Spanish flamenco dancers. (Originals previewed this year’s collection in Barcelona). “We manage to be a global brand with local connections,” Pruess says. “We’ve become part of hip-hop, skateboard, and high-fashion culture all by being naturally adopted by those communities. That’s what we want to continue.” stylist: ken baldwin. hair: dennis gotsoulos for redken urban experiment at magnetny.com. makeup: munemi using est cosmetics at see management. model: bojana panic at women. tank and socks by uniqlo, pants and sneakers by adidas originals, sunglasses by selima optique.
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