After a prominent and longstanding partnership with Nike, Edison Chen and his streetwear label CLOT have forged a new alliance with adidas.
While collaborations with Nike have birthed some of the most revered releases, such as the Air Max 1 Kiss of Death, this fresh partnership with adidas signifies an innovative era for both brands. The collaboration emerges not as an absolute transition but an explorative venture into diversifying CLOT’s sneaker portfolio, previously enriched with sporadic adidas releases on models like the Superstar and Stan Smith in the 2010s.
CLOT’s endeavors with Nike have been characterized by consistent releases that captured the hearts of sneakerheads worldwide. For 17 years, their collaborative efforts materialized into widely celebrated releases, fusing Chen’s inimitable East-meets-West aesthetic with Nike’s hallmark models.
This partnership closed out with a series of releases this year, including multiple CLOT x Nike Cortez colorways, the cork-covered CLOT x Nike Dunk Low, and the CLOT x Nike Dunk Low What The CLOT. Aside from these publicly available collabs, a friends and family version of the CLOT x Air Jordan 5 Low, limited to 250 pairs, was gifted to select Juice Store customers.
Although collaborations between CLOT and adidas are not entirely new, this new partnership will see a series of creations that will navigate through avant-garde and classic streetwear realms. This alliance was highlighted in a series of photographs featured on the adidas Confirmed App, presenting Edison Chen alongside what is projected to be one of the first releases under the rejuvenated partnership: a CLOT-tweaked adidas Superstar, co-created with Japanese brand Neighborhood. The sneaker features a mesh base, shell toe, and a noticeably thick, grooved sole, promising a blend of athletic functionality and urban aesthetic.
Chen inaugurated the partnership with a fashion show in Shanghai, China. The event was not merely a showcase but a proclamation of the design direction CLOT intends to take with adidas. Among the showcased items were beaded versions of the adidas Gazelle, transforming a classic athletic silhouette into an artful expression.
Further blurring the lines between casual and formal, dress-shoe versions of the adidas Superstar were also featured, exemplifying CLOT's potential to innovate beyond the confines of typical sportswear. The reimagined Superstar, crafted with exquisite attention to detail and refinement, created a unique luxury and sports culture hybrid, demonstrating the boundless possibilities this partnership could explore.
“I think that my whole aesthetic has fully changed. Maybe not today because I’m in airport wear, but my tastes have matured, and I haven’t really created through that lens,” said Chen. He continued, “I spent the whole summer in Europe… That European lens has given me a whole different color palette and has inspired me in a different way. I think that the new EDC vibe is more chic instead of just street.”
With Edison Chen and CLOT now positioned alongside adidas, the fashion and sneaker community awaits with bated breath for future releases. The dichotomy of adhering to adidas’ athletic roots while simultaneously distorting traditional design boundaries poses an exhilarating challenge for Chen and his team.
We’ll have to wait and see what else the partnership has in store for us and whether or not it can drum up the same hype and demand that CLOT x Nike was able to bring to the table. Based on first reactions online, many aren’t happy with this chic style, but time will only tell how successful this venture is for both parties.
For the first release, the CLOT x Neighborhood x adidas Superstar will hit shelves on October 14, 2023 at 3PM HKT (2 AM EST) via Juice Store online and in-store. Keep it locked to our Twitter and the Sole Retriever mobile app to stay updated on the latest releases, raffles, news, and more in the sneaker and streetwear world.
CLOT x Neighborhood x adidas Superstar
Images via CLOT
