Pharrell and adidas Revive Archival Outdoor Codes with the VIRGINIA Watermoc "Starfish"
Debuted at Paris Fashion Week, the updated 1997 water-ready silhouette surfaces in five bold, monochromatic colorways.
Summary
Pharrell Williams and adidas are set to launch a modern reinterpretation of the 1997 Equipment Water Mo, newly dubbed the VIRGINIA Watermoc “Starfish”
Initially unveiled during Paris Fashion Week, the outdoor-leaning lifestyle model will drop in five distinct monochrome colorways
The hybrid silhouette fuses structural components from both the late-’90s water gear archive and the mid-2000s Carnuba Adventure Moc
Pharrell Williams is once again digging deep into the three-stripes archive, resurrecting a long-forgotten outdoor staple for the modern footwear market. Officially introduced on the heels of Paris Fashion Week, the Pharrell x adidas VIRGINIA Watermoc “Starfish” transforms a late-’90s aquatic performance shoe into a highly stylized, fashion-forward slip-on tailored for city streets and slick shorelines alike.
The design serves as a direct, contemporary evolution of the adidas Equipment Water Mo, a silhouette originally introduced in 1997 explicitly for aquatic and lakeside utility. While maintaining its core functional DNA—including a lightweight technical mesh upper and a low-profile rubber outsole engineered for traction on slippery surfaces—Pharrell’s interpretation sharpens the silhouette into a more aggressive, minimalist shape. The most defining modification is a wide, structural midfoot strap that originates near the medial collar, wraps across the bridge of the foot, and fastens on the lateral side via an adjustable elastic cord.
Beyond its late-’90s heritage, the shoe bridges multiple eras of the adidas outdoor archive by borrowing tooling from the mid-2000s. The Watermoc’s heavily grooved midsole and rugged tread patterns reference the rugged traction of the Carnuba Adventure Moc. Previewed so far in five uniform colorways—vibrant red, yellow, blue, green, and a stealthy all-black—each pair relies on a strict monochromatic finish that lets the organic, sculpted paneling and unconventional elastic fastening system take center stage.
The silhouette is slated to drop later this fall.
