
Adidas and Grace Wales Bonner’s Latest Collab Is Here
by Aaron Royce
Nov 23, 2020
If you're craving the groove of the '70s and '80s, look no further: Grace Wales Bonner's latest Adidas Originals collaboration has arrived. Following rave reviews of her Essence collection shown at Paris Fashion Week, the LVMH Prize-winning designer's third line with the sportswear giant is finally here.
"I was interested in elevating the familiar, and bringing an eveningwear and tailored sensibility to this essential collection," Bonner said in a statement.
After studying how Adidas had been worn and reinterpreted in different decades, Bonner wanted this collection to focus on essential pieces with a "tailored sensibility." Indeed, like her past collaborations with Dior and Manolo Blahnik, the designer infused the Wales Bonner x Adidas Originals line with her staple elegance and reverence for her Jamaican heritage.
Looking to dancehall musicians and Bob Marley for inspiration, Bonner's pieces are soft, yet sporty in nature. Pale yellow and icy blue are present throughout the line's satin jerseys and upcycled T-shirts. Adidas' striped track jacket is reimagined in a deep green and vibrant red, with a crocheted collar and cuffs. Pieces like a turtleneck sweater, sharp trousers and a color-blocked twill shirt are cast in burgundy and brown — an ideal fall palette. The collection smoothly merges Adidas' sporty aesthetic with Bonner's appreciation for tailoring, subtle details and complementary colors.
However, the biggest standout from the collaboration is the footwear. For this collection, Bonner reimagined Adidas' SL72 and Samba sneakers, which have been remade with materials and tones that pair perfectly with the rest of the line's pieces — or anything in someone's current wardrobe. Sambas with suede vamps in an off-white and brown colorway, or in black leather with embroidered stripes, look both modern and refreshingly vintage. The SL72's are also crafted in two colorways: pink canvas and light brown suede with red leather stripes, or green canvas and burgundy suede with off-white stripes. Each make use of a traditional color palette reworked into a sneaker that, at first glance, could be a collectible from decades past — but is in fact something entirely new.
Bonner's collection is the latest of Adidas' partnerships this year, which have included Prada, Craig Green, Pharrell Williams, Jonah Hill and Karlie Kloss. If her newest sublime collab is any indication, we're already looking forward to the next.
You can now shop the full Adidas Originals by Wales Bonner collection on Ssense and Adidas' website.
Photo courtesy of Wales Bonner
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