Written by Amy Stoltenberg
Photo from Wikimedia Commons
Last week, Adidas announced a collaboration with London-based women’s luxury designer Mary Katrantzou on a line of sneakers and athletic wear due to launch in November 2014. This union will be the beginning of a long-term partnership between the two industry power players.
Katrantzou uses digital techniques to create eccentric kaleidoscopic patterns of wild and vivid colors. Many of her signature prints imitate the shape and design of over sized pieces of jewelry, creating luxe images that play with optical illusion and visual effect. This message of luxury and opulence is at the core of her personal aesthetic, paired with an education in printmaking from the Master Fashion Textiles courses at Central Saint Martins.
“I am, personally, a huge fan of Mary Katrantzou’s digital prints, especially her Spring 2014 collection where she paired her prints with stunning bead work,” said second-year fibers student Olivia Miller from Maryville, Tenn. “I think it will be exciting to see how she translates this aesthetic into active footwear.”
Each of the design houses brings a different taste to the table, which will be sure to manifest itself in a very dynamic collection. Katrantzou is a young designer who came into her own in 2008 and comes from a modern, digital printing-based point of view. Adidas caters to a diverse and wide demographic and combines the styles of many different cultures and markets.
In an interview last week with Vogue UK, Katrantzou voiced her enthusiasm about working with the athletic company on a line of apparel and footwear.
“I grew up, like so many other kids around the world, wearing Adidas sneakers and I’m really excited about bringing my vision to such a global brand,” said Katrantzou. “They have a fantastic heritage and their ability to innovate in sportswear makes them the perfect partner for us to work with in this market.”
Third-year fashion and jewelry major Dominic Mattia from Wilmington, Del., is not typically a fan of sneakers. However, he said he can see the strategic move Adidas made by partnering with a high end designer to re-envision the traditionally faux pas wardrobe accessory.
“I feel that the sneaker itself really has room to evolve into something greater than a sneaker—into a personalized style that complements the lifestyle of the person wearing it,” Mattia said. “Through her technique of digital printing, Mary Katrantzou could come up with a new idea for the original lifestyle that Adidas encompasses.”
Katrantzou’s merchandise usually falls in the category of out-of-reach designer goods that only haunt the dreams of penny-pinching college students. Though no prices have formally been announced, Katrantzou’s Adidas creations will be more accessible. Trade in the four figure price tag for a three figure one, and suddenly a summer’s worth of minimum-age work might actually be worth something.
