Sneakers.co.id – Adidas special is a small collection of clothing and footwear that emerged from the enthusiasm of the first adidas gallery exhibition ‘SPECIAL‘ in London in 2013. The exhibition is a celebration of the adidas brand by showcasing a collection of products from some of the most passionate fans who – 'SPECIAL'- came to represent the essence of the adidas brand for fans and collectors. Let's see the interview with Gary Aspden. An important figure in the emergence of this sub -brand as well as a curator in the Adidas SPEZIAL series.
Gary Aspden started his journey with Adidas UK in the mid 90's where he worked in entertainment marketing, then promoted to Global Marketing Team. Aspden has worked on a freelance basis and has started many amazing marketing projects for adidas, like adidas Originals global launch, Y3 European launch and collaborative projects such as Bathing Ape, Kazuki for Originals by Originals and more. Since 2014 Aspden has curated the adidas Spezial collection as a brand consultant and designer. We sneakers.co.id received information from sneakersnstuff that Adidas Spezial will launch the Spring collection / Summer 2016. They had the opportunity to talk to Gary Aspden about the process for creating this Special collection and more. We are very excited to quote it and share it here.
image via clasickicks
What is the source of inspiration for the launch of the upcoming adidas Special Collection SS16?
Adidas Spezial is a reflection of adidas own reference through my point of view. We wanted to create a more modern representation of the precision and beauty of traditional adidas. We examine the notion of brand identity and how identity formulation comes from one's roots, experience and background. Applying the philosophy that for adidas all references are made within Europe – because that's where it all started.
For the first season, design references and inspiration to Germanic and Austrian but we wanted to create a collection that recognizes the French influence in Adidas history. We managed to pair the understated style of France with the iconic adidas aesthetic. From a personal perspective, I've always been intrigued by the French way of exuding a business style. I also really like the part of the world where I spent a lot of time on international visits in my youth which is around the South of France.
image via hypebeast.com
In this collection there are old models that come to life, but also new models that never looked brilliant until this release. What is the process of creating and creating this model?
The two shoes I'm probably most proud of are the Lacombe SPZL and the Cote SPZL, both are hybrids made by me and the team. I personally like the Lacombe SPZL and think it will have the potential to grow a lot further than the Spezial which basically has a very limited range. Inspired by the adidas Newcombe my friend Digger owns.
We changed the tooling for alternative styles (Rod Laver Vintage bukan Tobacco) and completely remodel shoes using better materials, remove any bearings and replace some of their less robust elements. The tongue and heel branding at Newcombe is made of bad green plastic, and cheap.
The Tobacco elements used on the OG are very different from those on adidas today and are reissued which are also inspired by marrying the upper through different devices.. The final piece in the puzzle of getting heels is to take a few millimeters of foxing – this is a masterstroke in getting the sophisticated silhouette that the last production version had.
The specifications of the ZX400 SPZL are more or less similar to the original ZX400 shoes I borrowed from Robert Brooks (then RB in the shoe tongue graphic). As accurately reproduced shoes – even to the seam line under the collar hit the third line.
I like 'sharknose’ fingers on antique runners like the Boston SPZL from the first season of Spezial but with the ZX400 (like New York SPZLs and Waterproof SPZLs from last season) it doesn't have a foot box so despite my temptation to change it we choose to stay true to its ancestor. The toughest thing with reissues is the limited availability of tooling coupled with real availability.
Then in the end will determine the appearance of the top shape. Since we have a number of sample rounds sometimes we have to kill the Spezial shoe after the first sample for example we get a strong indication that in the timeline and resources at our disposal we will never get a shoe look that comes close to what we want to achieve.
What sneaker has been the most difficult to make?
This is all pretty smooth in the manufacturing process. The Cote SPZL is tough because there are so many versions of the adidas 'Beach’ that inspires them. We have 3 version for reference and I believe that what we have made looks better than one of OGS. For ‘Puritan’ may disagree because they always defend all things antique but i consider myself a puritan too and i really believe this is better.
What exactly is the difference between the recreate and the original models??
The only thing different between adidas 350 SPZL and OG adidas 350 made under license in Japan is that the Spezial version is made of much better leather.
Blue Hochelaga SPZL quite a lot 1:1s from adidas Montreals. There might be a slight difference in the tools but it's really very, very minimal. The Hochelaga SPZL gray is the colourway that Montreal never originally made and I think we should try the only gray can. It's working so we continue them.
What is the most exciting thing about this release?
It's always great to see the response from real adidas fans. The internet and social media can be bad places, so to get lots of likes and positive responses about various things is through buzz … The highlight is always getting a few pairs of pants and some new awesome outfits for me to wear.
Never forget that I am also a big fan of the brand – and i believe somehow the people who buy these things believe that and know that i do my best to make this product as good as they can possibly get it too.
adidas special spring collection / hot has been released on 19 March. Please visit the adidas website to see the latest collections.
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