London-based design label Wales Bonner and Adidas originals continue their ongoing collaboration, releasing their fourth collection on June 4th. With odes to 70’s and 80’s sportswear silhouettes and color stories, the collection fuses the curatorial research-based practice of Wales Bonner with the Adidas archive. For inspiration, designer Grace Wales Bonner focused on the music and photography of Burkina Faso, West Africa. This is seen specifically through the color palette; red, sun yellow, and pale pink and through the special jacquard prints.
The collection offers a curated mix of elevated sportswear basics—from athletic knitwear and 70s-inspired take on the classic WB Track Top and Track Pants—and Adidas original sneakers, the Adidas Country silhouette, and the WB Samba sneaker. Adidas has been consistently teaming up with designer brands (see: Prada, Gucci, and most recently Balenciaga, which debuted at the house’s NYC resort show), but there’s something effortlessly organic about the Wales Bonner collab. It fits perfectly into the design wheelhouse of (Grace Wales) Bonner with its focus on reaching back and referencing.
The collection, shot by photography duo Jalan and Jibril Durimel and styled by Tom Guinness, showcases the unique blending of both brands’ aesthetics. With moody lighting, maroon carpeted flooring, and burled wood walls, the lookbook captures the nostalgic essence the collaboration was aiming for.
The Adidas Originals by Wales Bonner Spring/Summer 2022 collection is available globally on June 4th on Confirmed and through select retailers.