The Humble Magnificence Of adidas SPEZIAL
Designer and adidas fan Mike Holmes visits the brand’s touring exhibition, and marvels at the humble magnificence of functional footwear that was elevated to greatness by working class lads; long before the fashion industry paid it a second thought…
In the run up to the 2012 Olympic games, adidas Originals launched their ‘all in’ campaign, fronted by various brand ambassadors, including Katy Perry and Justin Bieber. For those of us who believe the shoes on our feet represent something more than protection and support, it was an alarming sign that the Originals range had lost its way in an attempt to appeal to the masses.
Fortunately, two years on, it appears that things are getting back on track. The adidas SPEZIAL exhibition in Manchester is a succinct example of the brands acceptance and celebration of its role within subcultures, with a particular slant on those from the North of England. The brainchild of Gary Aspden, long time adidas consultant, collaborator and collector, the exhibition presents over 800 pairs of vintage, deadstock, re-issues, collaborations and rarities, tracing a timeline of pop culture and style. Aspden has led some of adidas Originals most interesting collaborations, such as the Y-3/Faç51 shoe by Factory Records designer, Peter Saville and Haçienda architect, Ben Kelly. Growing up in Blackburn and moving to Manchester in the late ’80s to study, Aspden has first-hand experience of hip-hop culture, football casual and acid house, and understands the role given to adidas products within them. These cultures thrive on unspoken codes and insider knowledge; small details that are unnoticed by the mainstream but mean everything to the initiated; the sartorial equivalent of a mason’s handshake.
The impact of sportswear on modern culture is hard to deny today. However, the majority of the shoes on display hail from a time before your dad wore trainees, and were designed with little more than function and performance in mind.
Talking to Dazed Digital, Aspden commented: “Peter [Saville] and I were disagreeing about this… I was talking about adidas in relation to culture and he was basically saying it’s not culture, it’s just things that people wear when they’re doing cultural things. The thing is, I believe it’s intrinsic to culture… Our shoes were really important to us. They were signifiers. It’s a very subtle form of communication in a way.”
The SPEZIAL exhibition, the second in a series of three (last year at the Hoxton gallery in London and at No.42 Paris from 13 November 2014), mirrors the cultures that it celebrates; it is full of discreet cultural signifiers, understated but clear as day to the initiated. The photography showing the new Spezial range of footwear and clothing is shot by Kevin Cummins, and the Adidas Ardwick trainer (a limited run of 500 pairs and available in green, of course) is a collaboration with cult menswear store, Oi Polloi.
The shoes are laid out for the most part in a non-hierarchical manner, pairs laid out neatly alongside each other with no captions, information or pomp. The collection has grown from 600 pairs at the Hoxton show to over 800 in Manchester. Many of the extra pairs came from a once-in-a-lifetime trip Aspden and a handful of collectors made to a sports store in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The results of the trip influenced the design of the Spezial range of footwear and clothing launched alongside the Manchester exhibition, and are captured beautifully in Greg Bond’s film (above) for SHOWstudio.
Separate display cases are used to highlight some of the exhibits, including Aspden’s collection of shoes signed by musicians including Noel Gallagher, Nas and Professor Griff of Public Enemy. There’s a selection from the adidas Superstar 35th anniversary range and pairs customised by artists Mark Gonzales, Goldie and the Chapman brothers.
The show is small, intimate and understated; situated in Manchester’s Northern Quarter means there is a constant stream of visitors and the atmosphere is quiet and friendly. The opening night saw a host of famous faces such as Goldie, Vicky McClure and Sean Ryder. Some (including Mani of Stone Roses, Primal Scream, and Gallagher) have returned to gaze, along with the masses, at the humble magnificence of functional footwear that was elevated to greatness by working class lads; long before the brand and the fashion industry paid it a second thought.
Mike Holmes
Catch the Adidas SPEZIAL exhibition, as part of Design Manchester 14, until Sunday 2 November 2014, 7 Dale Street, Manchester — open 12-8pm, free entry
The adidas SPEZIAL Exhibition is moving on from Manchester to Paris (14 November 2014) and then Moscow. Follow @adidas on Twitter for more info on dates and venues
