adidas SPEZIAL by UNION Fall/Winter 2018

adidas Originals presents an exclusive collaborative collection between revered Los Angeles retail space, UNION, and adidas SPEZIAL. Building on SPEZIAL’s deft use of adidas’s archive and heritage, as well as the line’s commitment to championing subculture, the collection pays tribute to the B-Boy culture that inspired so many to wear The Three Stripes on both sides of The Atlantic. Championing the brand’s history whilst remaining committed to forwarding subculture in the current day, the SPEZIAL by Union campaign features modern-era B-Boys who are forwarding the art form.

With references to the DIY heritage of Terrace culture in the UK and the B-Boy culture that grew out of New York in the 70s, the collection is rooted in subcultural history. Taking cues from the iconic iron-on Heated Words font, favored by everyone from punks, to B-boys, and rappers throughout the last four decades, and the Albee Square Mall in Brooklyn that proliferated the typeface across The States and then the rest of the world, the SPEZIAL by UNION collaboration brings together two worlds in a way that only adidas can.

Consisting of a selection of apparel in adidas blue and white, featuring a heritage-inspired polyester tracksuit, a crew neck sweater emblazoned with the three stripes, and a classic white T-shirt, the collection’s stand out feature is the UNION SPEZIAL CREW graphic that pays dues to both brands roots in subculture, and the DIY attitude of B-Boys across the globe.

In addition to the classic collection of apparel, UNION and SPEZIAL have come together to create two contemporary updates of the popular adidas Garwen SPZL silhouette. One, inspired by the colorway of a 1994 iteration of the adidas 350, the other with a British premium suede upper. Both eye-catching updates on the classic adidas leisure silhouette.