Consortium

adidas Originals x SPEZIAL returns for a highly anticipated SS21 season offering a collection that borrows references from the 70s through to the early 90s, most notably utilising an 80s inspired colour palette of bright, vibrant and fluorescent colours often found on adidas pieces from the time. The adidas Originals x SPEZIAL SS21 collection is available via Consortium Releases, draws close Wednesday 21st July at 08:00 hrs BST.

The adidas SPEZIAL team alongside Gary Aspden are known for attentively sourcing product information from around the world, sifting through personal libraries from devoted adidas collectors and accessing an extensive adidas archive with years and years of historical products, from country exclusive models to never-seen-before prototypes. To develop on seasonal SPEZIAL collections, the team gather rare characteristics from vintage silhouettes, reworking and hybridising these into distinctive SPEZIAL pieces. SS21 is no exception, the team showcase an exemplary summer-appropriate footwear, clothing and accessory collection for all dedicated Three-Stripe connoisseurs.

The highlight of the footwear collection is the Blackburn SPZL, a UK exclusive release that is based on the very first sample of the shoe, offering an inverted 'scarlet' colourway of the original release within the FW19 collection. The shoe is honorary to the town of Blackburn, the largest industrial town in Lancashire where Gary Aspden spent much of his youth and upbringing and from where he received his primal art education at Blackburn College. The shoe's concept lies in Aspden's own childhood experiences of the town, a heartfelt design from the chief curator of SPEZIAL who has always felt the need to celebrate Blackburn's rich history, tapping into his own memories of growing up within its perimeters as a source of inspiration laying the foundations of the design.

The Blackburn SPZL returns for SS21 in a plush 'scarlet' suede upper, leather Three Stripes and heel moustache alongside 'collegiate green' laces and detailing on the tongue, this 'Ewood' edition of the shoe is a further homage to the Lancashire rose; receiving a gold foil print on the heel quarter, a modern take on the graphic foil prints used by adidas on training shoes in the mid 70s, alongside gold foil 'Blackburn' branding on the sidewall. The special edition shoe marks a significant point in adidas terrace design with Gary Aspden at the forefront - becoming an instant classic.

The Burnden SPZL is a clean and minimal court-inspired silhouette constructed of a premium white leather upper. The shoe features a unique hybrid silhouette design borrowed heavily by the SPEZIAL team from a vintage suede trainer made under license in Japan, most notable through its curved eyestay trim and heel overlay. The shoes displays classic court design inspiration through a perforated toe box for breathability and cupsole construction, the off white rubber outsole and laces subtly contrasts against the shoe's clean white leather upper.

The Malmo Net SPZL takes inspiration from a 1976 make up of the classic Malmo City Series silhouette that uniquely used a nylon mesh upper with suede and leather overlays. Utilising the classic colourway inspired by the Swedish flag, the Malmo Net SPZL nods to the ultra rare version from 1976 whilst showcasing a reworked toe box construction and finished with adidas SPEZIAL Mod Trefoil graphics on the tongue and heel moustache making the silhouette solely unique to SPEZIAL SS21.

The Hoylake SPZL is based on a lesser known South African style discovered by a notorious adidas collector based in the town of Hoylake, Merseyside. The vintage track silhouette utilises a grey suede and nylon upper accented with navy leather Three Stripes and heel moustache, red lace eyelets and a multicoloured EVA midsole. The shoe is aptly finished with Hoylake branding, a reciprocated kindness and tribute to the merseyside collector who lent the only known pair in existence to the SPEZIAL team.

The final trainer in the footwear collection offers a SPEZIAL rendition of the classic Marathon series. The Marathon 86 SPZL receives original prototype suede overlays only seen before on early mock-ups of the original shoe whilst receiving a vintage-inspired fluorescent yellow colourway with contrasting black accents and deep red line running through the EVA midsole.

The clothing collection kicks off with the Aldrington Jacket, based heavily on a rare Japanese market release adidas Adventure jacket from the 90s with contrasting beige, dark blue and bright pink panels. The Aldrington adopts a vintage rain jacket silhouette, cut with a generous fit offering draw cord fastening around the waist and hem to allow tapering for a more customised fit, the jacket utilises a button-up placket with a zipper underneath featuring adidas SPEZIAL branded zip pulls.

The vintage adidas Adventure Japanese release jacket that inspired the Aldrington...

The second jacket in the line-up is the Todmorden Smock, a classic hooded anorak silhouette in 'power red' nodding to the Lancashire rose also reflected in the Blackburn SPZL. The boxy rain-protective shell offers light shielding from the elements whilst featuring two oversized woven adidas SPEZIAL logo patches on the chest, a contrasting dark blue quarter-zip, kangaroo pocket and zip pocket on the arm.

The Todmorden Jacket is styled below with the new Durrington Shorts - staying true to the collection's 80s inspired colour palette in vibrant 'bluebird', these lightweight drawstring shorts feature two side pockets and are finished with a Mod Trefoil logo woven patch.

Each SPEZIAL seasons sees a rightful homage to classic adidas tracksuits and for SS21 adidas SPEZIAL showcase the Ewood Tracksuit, a navy polyester jacket and track pants inspired by the slim, sharp cuts of late 1970s leisure wear and training suits. The Ewood Track Top features a distinctive collard neck, metal full zip, cuffed wrists and minimal adidas SPEZIAL patch logo branding on the chest and arm. The minimalistic design of the Ewood Track Pant allows for clean styling together with any of the collection's footwear.

The adidas SPEZIAL Birchall Tee is a crewneck t-shirt made from high quality off-white 100% cotton jersey, cut in a classic fit with a multicoloured, hand-painted take on the Mod Trefoil logo with 'made for SPEZIAL' written underneath the design.

The SS21 collection is rounded off with two accessories: the Ellenshaw lightweight mesh 6-panel cap and the Portslade Bag, a classic duffel design in a contrasting 'night navy' and white colourway completed with Mod Trefoil branded metal zip pulls.

Enter our draw for an opportunity to purchase product from the adidas Originals x SPEZIAL SS21 collection via Consortium Releases, draws close Wednesday 21st July at 08:00 hrs BST - good luck!

From skateboarding pioneer Mark Gonzales, humble skateboard brand Carpet Company to Bad Brains bassist Darryl Jenifer, the Jenkem Mix invites someone whose integral voice, “life and work speaks to skateboarding’s independent ethos while transcending it” - giving us insight into what music inspires them, influential tracks of their youth, or perhaps how they were feeling at that particular time. You can expect a wide variety of music from a wide variety of guests on these, all authentic personalities, all legends in their own right.

The most recent Jenkem Mix summoned Dustin Dollin to share his tracks, included within are: Tom Waites, Kate Bush, Frank Zappa, Nick Cave and David Bowie to name a few...

"Before we received this tracklist from Dustin Dollin I thought I knew all there is to know about him. We’ve all watched him for the past 25 years while he’s been drinking, slamming, and dropping parts, so I assumed we were just going to get banged over the head with some dive bar classics."

While there are some divey staples here and there, there are also some unexpected oddities in the middle, like a parody song that samples a bizarre Gordon Ramsay news segment, and a 19-minute Isaac Hayes track with a 9-minute spoken-word intro. But that’s why we all love Dustin, because even after a quarter-century in the game, he can still surprise (or troll) us all.

If you don’t want to think too deeply about the picks, feel free to just listen to this mix the Dustin would’ve wanted you to – on shuffle, slightly drunk with some good friends."

Check out more Jenkem Mixes from Maité Steenhoudt, Bam Margera, Natas Kaupus, Bill Strobeck, Blondey McCoy, Louie Lopez, Nora Vasconcellos, Alltimers, Stefan Janoski, Pass~Port and Beagle over on their website!

Clarks Originals showcase a contemporary take on the iconic Wallabee with an all over leopard print hair-on cow leather with contrasting dark leather trim. The Clarks Originals Wallacraft Lo appropriates on their classic moccasin design with the addition of a raised crepe sole, the shoe is constructed using a textured nubuck upper and soft suede interior lining offering a premium handle to the Wallabee inspired silhouette.

Check out these silhouettes and more styles from Clarks Originals Women over in our Women's category!

Since it’s foundation in 1971, C.P. Company has been propelled by the same elements that are still integral to the brand. 50 years later, C.P. Company is ready to celebrate the origins of sportswear with IDEA through respectful homage to five decades of garment innovation. C.P. Company 971-021 ‘An informal history of Italian sportswear’ is a monumental 438-page monograph (the first in the brand’s history) which celebrates its archive.

By inviting 50 fans of the brand of all ages from across the world to be “self-styled” and photographed wearing historical C.P. Company garments that tell the story of their passion for the brand and how they have used it le ground-breaking garments to define and express their identity, the book unravels a rich narrative of an entirely new way of dressing that has emerged in the last 50 years: Italian sportswear.

“Looking through the book and all my photos what I like most about the images is how they’ve documented these 50 incredible, very different people, that are at the same time all connected by one thing: C.P. Company. When I was photographing them I was trying to understand them, and capture in some way their history in a memorable image, but looking at them all together it becomes something bigger.”

Neil Bedford - Photographer

Accompanying the 50 portraits that comprise the main body of the book is a 180-page Design and Manufacturing Glossary featuring over 200 garments from the brand’s archive, together with detailed, often anecdotal descriptions of the manufacturing techniques and stories behind their development.

The selection of garments highlights moments, manufacturing techniques and fabrics that best express the spirit of the brand and speak to the contemporary relevance of its entire history. C.P. Company 971-021 ‘An informal history of Italian Sportswear’ published by IDEA is available with us online now!

Oskar 'Oski' Rozenberg Hallberg has really made a name for himself in skateboarding. His talents showcase a powerful, unique approach, paying homage to an old-school style where it seems he would skate anything with full intensity and at incredible skill. Recently Oski has received a feature on the Vogue website in 'How 11 Swedes Celebrated Midsummer' and we have pasted the full interview below!

Photos by Lucas Frisk Bergqvist.

"What do you think of when you hear the word midsummer? Shakespeare? A horror movie? Not so Swedes, who traditionally celebrate the change of season, and light, with dancing around a maypole, herring, schnapps, and strawberry cake. And, yes, flower crowns, a custom that predates festival dressing by hundreds of years.

Of course 2021 differs from many that have come before. Wondering what a pandemic era midsummer fest might look like, we asked 11 Swedes (the ones who weren’t busy with work, and we spoke to a few of them), to give us a peek into their smaller fests, where tradition was updated with personal expression. Scroll down to get your vicarious party on with designers, artists, models—and an Olympic skateboarder."

Oski Rozenberg-Hallberg is a double reigning world champion skateboarder, who will represent Sweden in the sport at the Olympics. Keen to encourage “spontaneous sports,” he’s in the process of setting up a foundation that will help fund skateparks in economically challenged areas.

Where did you celebrate midsummer?
With a road trip out to the countryside in the south of Sweden [to] revisit an old wooden skateboard half pipe with a few friends. It’s not every day that you get to skate a ramp that you have ridden on before—but in another country. Two years ago I won a contest on this very ramp but back then it was located in Hørsholm, Denmark. We had a good session and enjoyed skating this legendary sketchy wooden ramp while the Smashing Pumpkins was blasting through the speakers, and all sorts of animals were walking beside, under, and sometimes even on top of the ramp. It felt good to be one with nature again. We had some beers, scared a couple of birds, rode some dirt bikes, and picked up some eggs.

Who joined you?
I partied at my friend’s house with his family. They have a lot of kids, so no need to go all-in. Staying responsible also works in your favor the day after when all the other homies are too hungover to go skate.

What is your favorite Midsummer tradition?
Just eating and drinking with friends. Partying at the beach.

And your least?
Danish liquor.

What made this year’s celebration unique?Dirt bikes and horses.

Did you make your own flower crown?
That’s actually another tradition that seems pointless to me. I’m too impatient.

Enter our draw for an opportunity to purchase a pair of Nike SB Dunk Low Pro 'Classic Green' via Consortium Releases!

This rendition of the Nike SB Dunk Low Pro draws from a Boston Celtics inspired colourway of white, black and varsity green that first debuted on the 2009 Nike Air Jordan 1 Retro High DMP ‘Boston Celtics’ as a sneaker to celebrate Michael Jordan’s 63 point haul, an all-time NBA playoff record, against the Boston Celtics in April 1986.

Draw closes Friday 9th July at 8:00 hrs BST - don't miss out on these!

Read the full Consortium Releases Terms and Conditions here.

IDEA started from a passion between co-founders Angela Hill and David Owen for extensively sourcing rare vintage books. Having built their own personal collections with multiple copies of their favourites, the two started to sell their books in the late 90s through Colette, a Parisian high-fashion boutique and streetwear retailer and then later through Dover Street Market where it still exists today. IDEA now also runs through an Instagram page and e-commerce website where they sell what they call "superbooks" amongst all other rarities and today are likely to be one of the biggest collection and archives of super-rare and obscure books for sale on the market.

IDEA's collection of superbooks are generally regarded as "books that are new to us [IDEA] and have huge potential to inspire new ideas”, books that "take on such power” because of their uniqueness, age and sometimes extraordinary subject matter. From; photography and art books, vintage exhibition catalogs, (a super rare Donald Judd Catalogue Raisonné from 1975 has just surfaced for £3,500.00), fashion collection lookbooks, design catalogs, band retrospectives and everything weird and wonderful in-between whether it be ‘A Golden Guide to Hallucinogenic Plants’, 'Rock Stars In Their Underpants' or the ‘Erotic Sketchbook’ by Salvador Dali - we recommend taking a look for yourself and scroll through their Instagram feed.

Its this growing collection of superbooks that allures IDEA's most exclusive clientele of leading industry professionals from within fashion, design and architecture as well as artists and musicians who have all used the archive from IDEA as source material and inspiration. These books aren’t for everyone, they are weird and wonderful with some so rare that hardly anybody has heard of them, but they are adored and treasured by the people who do know.

Angela Hill, David Owen and IDEA have taken their knowledge and passion for selling vintage books and developed it into publishing their own, collaborating with the likes of Stussy, Palace, Gucci, Vetements etc. More recently IDEA have published a collection of iconic photographs by Dave Swindells into a book called 'Ibiza ’89', at first a sell out with demand to produce a second edition just weeks after, as well as the brand new and expansive book 'SPIKE ISLAND' featuring multiple photographers including Swindells.

SPIKE ISLAND is a photographic documentary of a legendary single day event held in the North of England on May 27, 1990. The occasion was a concert by The Stone Roses. The location was Spike Island, Widnes, Cheshire. The book is not about The Stone Roses as such, this is a book about the fans and really about what they wore. Photographed by Dave Swindells, Patrick Harrison and Peter J Walsh, SPIKE ISLAND is a visual encyclopaedia of 80s/90s British street style. When indie rock met dance in the third summer of love.

We are pleased to be stocking publications from IDEA with us here at Consortium, 'SPIKE ISLAND' and 'IDEA Fanpages 2!'  are available with us online now!

"There’s no good way to test Jack’s tricks—it’s do or die on every try. See how hard he went for one of the gnarliest parts to date."

Jack O'Grady is from Sydney, Australia, he rides for Pass~Port and Nike SB, has been awarded Australian SOTY and even appeared on the cover of Thrasher Magazine... and he's only 21 years old.

Jack's skating is raw, fast and aggressive as he takes on ruthless terrain, tight spots, crazy heights and dodges in and out of traffic for his 30 minute skateboard video part for Pass~Port. This one is definitely worth bearing witness to, watch the full video below.

Introducing Chinatown Market to Consortium with their ‘Money Capsule’ collection.

Chinatown Market is an LA based streetwear brand founded by Mike Cherman. After graduating from Parson’s School of Design in 2010 and spearheading a career in design Cherman decided to start CTM in 2016 deriving its name from Canal Street in New York City where, as a child, Cherman would explore with his father. The brand first accumulated social media attention and a devout cult following for creating bootleg sneakers with unique, one off designs from Nike Air Force customised using a handheld inkjet printer gun as well as the ‘Swoosh 1970s’ - a bootleg pair of black Converse 70s Chuck Taylor All Star adorned with both a Nike Swoosh and Smiley face on the sidewalls which were worn by LeBron James, A$AP Rocky and Erykah Badu.

Chinatown Market encapsulates the spirit of New York City street culture with a positive mindset - focusing on using fun, graphic heavy motifs throughout their clothing and accessories collections with sought-after, collectable pieces.

With their cult fanbase turning into 858,000 worldwide Instagram followers, it's apparent that the brand garners a special connection with their audience. With only five years after its inception, China Town Market have achieved a long list of collaborators with the likes of Nike, Converse, Lacoste, The Grateful Dead etc. The list goes on… and the brand impressively produces a number of capsule collections each month and collaborations season on season. Chinatown Market has firmly placed itself within the bloodline of streetwear and is a prime example of how the culture has developed with the new generation of young creators utilising the power and reach of social media whilst embracing the original ’do it yourself’, creative attitude and ethos.

The Chinatown Market 'Money Capsule' uses key jersey pieces from the CTM repertoire printed with the classic 'arc' and 'smiley ball' graphics alongside all over dollar bill design basketball shorts and basketball.

 

The Chinatown Market 'Money Capsule' collection releases with us online on 01/07/21 at 00:01 hrs BST.

A.P.C. and Gimme 5 have teamed up for the 11th instalment of A.P.C.’s ongoing series of ‘interactions’. An interaction is much like a collaboration; built from long-standing friendships, affiliation of shared interests and values or through sights at an opportunity to create something special.

Founded in 1989 by Michael Kopelman, Gimme 5 is a London-based fashion agency and distributor who also became known for their graphic t-shirts, soon to be collector’s items among a devoted fandom. Importing authentic and credible brands from around the world, what were then up and coming streetwear brands: BAPE and Stüssy and in more recent years with American skateboard brand Fucking Awesome.

Interaction #11 was born out of a long-standing friendship between Michael Kopelman and Jean Touitou beginning in the 1990s when Gimme Five T-shirts were sold at A.P.C. Magasin Général - Touitou’s shop, concept store (before the term was coined) and curation of more obscure, unique products from clothing, music, books and household objects sold amongst his A.P.C. collections.

The relationship between the two continues today with an A.P.C. and Gimme 5 capsule collection utilising an iconic graphic from the Gimme 5 archive and a new exclusive design silkscreened onto A.P.C.'s high-quality 100% cotton jersey t-shirts and sweatshirts.

"I very much believe that A.P.C. is made by people who go their own way for people who go their own way.” — Michael Kopelman.

The A.P.C. x Gimme 5 'Interaction Collection' is available with us online now.