Wales Bonner's FW20 adidas Collaboration Infuses Heritage With Raw Texture
The lauded British designer elevates the Samba and SL72.
adidas continues its run of covetable collaborative Samba sneakers, enlisting lauded British designer Wales Bonner for her second special shoe selection. Comprising two classic styles — the aforementioned Samba and retro SL72 running shoe — Wales Bonner’s latest adidas team-up is quietly stylish, a perfect complement to her apparel designs.
The Samba shoes are the more adventurous styles, featuring hand-stitched accents and crochet-like detailing on a black/white pair and perforated raw cotton uppers on a white/green edition. An exaggerated tongue on the former recalls the Samba’s soccer heritage while the latter’s contrasting tongue lends it an air of updated sportswear cool.
The SL72 models are comparatively understated but no less texturally intriguing. These feature accents of satin, velvet and “antique leather,” for a heritage-tinged touch that mirrors Wales Bonner’s retro-minded track jackets and driver’s cardigans. Both the pink/brown and beige/maroon sneakers are even lined in satin for an extra louche touch, upgrading the shoes beyond a mere stylistic reissue.
Stores like La Garconne and 24S are first to offer Wales Bonner’s collaborative kicks before they see wider release.
Plenty of other collaborative adidas kicks have emerged recently, including another round of Run-DMC’s signature Superstars and Pharrell’s latest adidas NMD.
