In line with the brand’s modern approach to streetwear, the Tubular Nova, Doom and Defiant styles unveiled are engineered to fit with a contemporary lifestyle where innovative technology is as important as a unique design language.
Created by the adidas design team directed by Nic Galway, vice President of Global Design at adidas Originals, the Tubular trainers belong to a new generation of radical footwear, a contemporary take on a classic adidas Originals shape from the brand’s archives - the adidas Tubular 93.
For SS16, the Tubular’s signature sole unit is identified as one of the most iconic characteristics of adidas technologies from the 1990’s. Although the new Tubular styles pay homage to those early adidas concepts, the functionality and design has been updated and abstracted to meet 21st century demands.
For SS16, the Tubular’s signature sole unit is identified as one of the most iconic characteristics of adidas technologies from the 1990’s. Although the new Tubular styles pay homage to those early adidas concepts, the functionality and design has been updated and abstracted to meet 21st century demands.
With its monochrome colour palette, eye-catching EVA sole unit and challenging silhouette, the Tubular family is defined by a high-octane energy and an aggressive attitude. The dynamic Tubular concept reinforces adidas Originals’ established dedication to push the boundaries of what traditional footwear design looks like. As such, the Tubular signals the latest evolution for adidas Originals. The result is a silhouette that marries the innovative spirit inherent to adidas with a dynamic, new design aesthetic.
In addition to the street party that to place in Braamfontein and to support the unveiling of the SS16 Tubular collection at AREA3, the local adidas Originals team decided to take their direction and inspiration from the streets of Johannesburg, the home of AREA3. They teamed up with a group of local creativesto interpret Tubular authentically within a truly South African context.
The result is a collection of images that form part of a Tubular Look Book exclusively done for the current Tubular product at retail. Styled by Gabrielle Kannemeyer and photographed by Kristin-Lee Moolman, the team set about navigating Johannesburg’s cityscape where they photographed the Tubular range against a backdrop of iconic and distinctive architecture.
Kannemeyer explains: “We kept a cohesive link with the global Tubular look books done for Shanghai, Berlin and Paris, but interpreted and executed it for the local market. By using the city’s facades and palisades as the canvas, we gave it some nuances that are unique to the Johannesburg CBD.”
“The Tubular shoe can be described as edgy and progressive yet versatile, and we wanted to translate that in the shoot by using locations and architectural elements that incorporate lines, shadows and sharp angles, juxtaposed against the softer, rounder Tubular silhouettes.”
She adds that the team also drew inspiration from the people of Johannesburg and how they dress and use their clothing as a strong form of self-expression: “It is exactly this that Tubular embodies - versatility and functionality, and ultimately crossing boundaries and borders in the fashion space. We also took on-the-spot inspiration from the models we used in the shoot - how the clothing fit them and how their silhouettes fitted into the looks we built and styled for each of them.”
When asked what made this shoot stand out for Kannemeyer, her answer is simple: “The authenticity of the shoot. Although it’s for a brand, the Tubular range and brief lends itself to being captured in an original way. I could be fully versatile in my styling without making it feel contrived – the various styles in the look book is exactly how one would find people wearing it on the streets of Johannesburg, which made it all the more uniquely South African.”
“Tubular takes the whole Y3 shape to a very accessible level and that’s what adidas Originals does very well. Some pieces were styled very functionally, while others were far more progressively styled with layers, which Tubular lends itself to.”
Ricole Green, adidas Originals spokesperson, concludes: “The brand new Tubular silhouette is breaking boundaries with an unparalleled blend of form and function. Its clean visual references and intuitive tech is a testament to performance footwear with uncompromised style. The exciting silhouette will continue its story for 2016, with a range of new releases that bring athletics and aesthetics closer than ever before.”
For more information on Tubular, visit www.area3.co.za and www.adidas.com/tubular. Follow the conversation online, by following @adidasZA onTwitter and Instagram as well as #TUBULAR #AREA3 #adidasOriginals
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adidas Originals | Look Book | Culture | Footwear
adidas Originals | Look Book | Culture | Footwear
