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!
