Adidas Originals launches key campaign and new visual direction

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Sep 18, 2023

Adidas Originals has unveiled a new visual direction and global brand platform, paying homage to the many people — including athletes and cultural pioneers — who’ve sported its Trefoil logo since it was first introduced over 50 years ago.

Under the strapline “We Gave the World an Original. You Gave Us a Thousand Back”, it said the Trefoil “returns with a new chapter, headlined by three films shot by three creative pioneers”.

Each focuses on three “timeless ‘characters’ from the Three Stripes archive”, which means three key shoes – the Superstar, the Gazelle and the Samba”.

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With each film and set of images spotlighting a different silhouette, “the narratives of the Trefoil’s history are interwoven with the ways in which these iconic styles, born in sport, have been embraced, reinterpreted, and absorbed into culture”.

The Superstar segment has been created by director and founder of the LoveSong production studio Daniel Wolfe (“as well as acting as a mentor for the other emerging directors in the series”). 

Wolfe's film shows us the shoe’s story from “court icon to cultural powerhouse, including a cameo from Run DMC who shook the world wearing the Shell Toe”.

The Gazelle is handled by “self-taught moving image maker” Will Dohrn who “tells the story of the silhouette through the lens of a young protagonist who moves across eras – dressed in archival adidas apparel, true to the timeline – meeting pro-skate duo Mike Arnold and Miles Silvas along the way”.

Finally, the Samba is brought to life by visual artist Justyna Obasi who “captures the mythical tale of the Samba’s travels across time and space, beginning with the fluid footwork of young soccer players and ending in the many cultural scenes that have made the shoe their own”.

Chadwick Tyler is behind the triptych stills that accompany each film, with some sets featuring “partners, collaborators, and friends of the brand that have helped to tell the story of the Trefoil the world over”.

They include Zinedine Zidane, Jenna Ortega, Pusha T, Anitta, Hoyeon Jung, David Beckham, Jennie, and Stormzy.