Wales Bonner x Adidas originals summer 2024 is here
Everything you need to know about the drop of the zeitgeisty designer's latest collab with the sportswear giant, including where to buy the newest Sambas
ITEN, KENYA (nickname: Home of the Champions) – the training ground of a remarkable number of the world’s greatest runners (Googles ‘properties of red soil’) – is the central impetus behind Grace Wales Bonner‘s latest collection with Adidas Originals. Tees come in ‘bold orange’ and ‘frozen yellow’, colours reminiscent of running gear; knit vests are made with the East African climate in mind; a trefoil logo sweatshirt is bettered by the phrase “The rhythm of practice” on one sleeve; and a green and yellow tracksuit pays homage to the insignia of Kenya’s Elgeyo-Marakwet county where Iten is located, not to mention, the flag of Jamaica, the land of Bonner’s father’s ancestors.
Bonner’s British roots act as a secondary creative influence. There’s a reversible Harris jacket that’s adorned with a check print on one side, the same print that prettifies this season’s shorts and bucket hat. The two leather bags give mid to late-20th century London. A Union Jack palette affords a boisterous energy to some of the rest of the 33 pieces.
The footwear is where the inspirations align: European form is elevated by African-inspired fabrics and hues, and details that pay homage to the designer’s Caribbean roots. The Samba returns in its textbook design – that is to say, without the foldover tongue that was initially an earmark of the collab before it was appropriated by mainline Adidas – in two colours: ‘blue/wonder white/ash blue’ and ‘wonder clay/royal blue/wonder white’.
They are joined by two entirely novel iterations of the Samba Millennium, a 2009 iteration of the silhouette. Bonner splits the upper of the noughties model into two: the fore is leather and characterised by decorative stitching, whilst the hind is formed from brown elephant skin-texture leather on one and blue pony hair on the other.
And just as Bonner forecasted this year’s SL 72 renaissance in her previous Adidas drops, she predicts its successor, the SL 76, is up next by including it in this collection which arrives two years prior to its 50th anniversary.
The Wales Bonner x Adidas SL 76 makes its debut in blue and black and yellow and back. The latter patently nods to the AdiZero that Haile Gebrselassie – Ethiopian, but no stranger to Iten – wore when he smashed his record at the 2008 Berlin Marathon, the very sneaker that Bonner put her models in for her SS24 show titled ‘Marathon’.
The campaign ensures that Kenya is ultimately recognised as muse; visuals captured by Viviane Sassen – an acclaimed Dutch Artist who spent three years of her childhood in the west of the country – star Kenyan-born world-class runners Barselius Kipyego, Bethwel Yegon, Charles Simotwo, Cornelius Kemboi, Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Nelly Chepchirchir sporting the new-season pieces in where else but the Home of the Champions.
When is the Wales Bonner x Adidas summer 2024 collection dropping?
The Wales Bonner x Adidas summer 2024 collection drops on Tuesday May 21.
Where is the Wales Bonner x Adidas summer 2024 collection dropping?
The Wales Bonner x Adidas summer 2024 collection is releasing online at Adidas.
How much does the Wales Bonner x Adidas summer 2024 collection cost?
The Wales Bonner x Adidas summer 2024 collection is priced between $30–$900.
How do Wales Bonner x Adidas trainers fit?
Wales Bonner x Adidas trainers fit true to size, but considering the slimline sneaks are often built narrow, we advise that those with wide feet consider opting for a half-size higher than their regular size.
Shop some of the Wales Bonner x Adidas summer 2024 collection here
Adidas x Wales Bonner Samba shoes in royal blue
Adidas x Wales Bonner Samba shoes in wonder white
Adidas x Wales Bonner SL76 shoes in ash blue
Adidas x Wales Bonner Set-In t-shirt in chalk white
Wales Bonner x Adidas New Knit Track top in bold gold and crew green
A version of this story originally appeared on Esquire UK
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