It seems that the collaborative machine at adidas has undergone some kind of paradigm shift. After years of collaborations with artists like Kanye West and Pharrell and skateboarding brands like Palace, the iconic sportswear brand seems to be turning their gaze to a new horizon: luxury. In just the last year, adidas has been featured in at least two major runway shows and their list of luxury collaborators seems to be growing by the day. Over the last month, adidas has released collaborative collections with luxury brands like Gucci, Balenciaga, and Grace Wales Bonner. Their most recent collaborator is Gucci, whose Creative Director Alessandro Michele has reworked many of adidasā most iconic sneakers and apparel items. The Gucci x adidas Cotton Jersey T-shirt captures the pairās collaborative vision in a highly accessible wardrobe staple.
As a collection, Gucci x adidas calls out to the 1980ās and 1990ās. The Gucci x adidas Cotton Jersey T-shirt pulls from those periods in a way that feels both nostalgic and contemporary. Made available in three different colors, the Gucci x adidas Cotton Jersey T-shirt features a collaborative take on the adidasā Trefoil logo. The t-shirt is made from organic cotton and officially released on June 7th, 2022.
Defined by Gucci as āSartorial Streetwear,ā the collaboration delivers the luxury houseās take on both new adidas pieces and some of the sportswear brandās most iconic silhouettes. The collection leans heavily into the use of adidasā Trefoil logo which can be found twice on the Gucci x adidas Cotton Jersey T-shirt. Additionally the collaboration features new styles like the Viscose Sweater Vest, which has a velvet Trefoil logo embroidered on its chest and contrasting striped trim that calls out to Gucciās classic red and green colors. As far as adidas classics go, the two brands have worked together on six new collaborative colorways of the Gazelle sneaker, one of which features an all-over Gucci monogram print. The collaboration also included a number of luxury accessories, encompassing everything from Trefoil Logo Pendant Necklaces to Gucci Monogram covered Golf Bags.
As a larger collection, the Gucci x adidas collaboration makes Alessandro Micheleās vision more accessible than ever before. Under Michele, Gucci has delivered a vibrant and optimistic return to style periods of the past. This rose-tinted vision has, by its luxury nature, existed in a relatively exclusive fantasy world set apart for those who have the means to participate. Their collaboration with adidas and the inclusion of wardrobe staples like the Gucci x adidas Cotton Jersey T-shirt, though still quite expensive, offers a taste of Micheleās idealized retro look at the most accessible level ever.
For those who donāt follow adidas very closely, this partnership with Gucci may seem like a routine endeavor in a world where new collaborations seem to come and go every other day. But for the brands that adidas is collaborating with, it seems very possible that the sportswear brand is offering them a new way to interact with customers they may not otherwise have the opportunity to. Similar to how adidas has served as the platform for much of Kanye Westās creative output, the brand may be offering their very popular archive to brands as a way to help them deliver a more accessible product and remind consumers of the brandās long, and celebrated, history.
When looking at both Gucci and Balenciagaās recent collaborations with the brand, both are doing something similar. Both used adidasā most tried and tested staples to draw new eyes to the narratives they are telling through their own collections. In an interview with Vogue, Michele said, āMy approach has been a fun way to look at that world, when sportswear had a chic retro edge, while Demna [Gvasalia, creative director of Balenciaga,] has interpreted it more like a uniform. The same thing can transform and mutate into completely different entities, it just depends from which perspective you look at it.ā While we certainly canāt speak for adidas, it seems very clear that the brand is more than happy to offer up their catalog for the interpretation of fashionās most creative minds.
Buy & Sell the Gucci x adidas Cotton Jersey T-shirt in all three colors below.
