Adidas Launches New Graffiti Inpsired Adidas Original Stan Smith Collection

Article written by: Rodrick Rainey
Posted on: April 10, 2007

Adidas footwear and fashions Group has launched a new range of sneakers inspired by graffiti art.

The End to End footwear collection, unveiled today by Adidas Originals and athletic retailer Foot Locker, was designed by graffiti artists from the US, UK, Germany, Italy and France.

The new range has been made available at Foot Locker stores globally, including the All City Collection, the Burner Collection and the King’s Collection.

However, Adidas Group has been criticised by US officials for sponsoring graffiti in New York’s subway, according to Newsday

Adidas invited the graffiti artists to paint a full-sized replica subway car in downtown New York for the End to End launch today (10 April), much to the dismay of some politicians and councillors in the state.

“Graffiti has nothing to do with sneakers, so basically it’s just another despicable corporation trying to look edgy by promoting a crime in search of profits,” councillor Peter Vallone Jr told Newsday.

The companies hired seven graffiti artists, including Skore, Can2 and Atom, Siloette, Rime, Scien and Smart, over a period of three days. Adidas and Foot Locker gutted a large warehouse in East London’s Spitalfields area to create a workshop for the artists, with white canvases, spray paint cans, nozzles, markers and paint brushes.

“Together with Foot Locker, we were able to create a ‘think tank’ where these artisans could amplify their creativity and design one of our most vibrant collections to date,” said Liad Krispin, head of Adidas trend & lifestyle marketing in the US.

“Never before has a project like this taken place where the collection is designed alongside developers to ensure that the product correctly represents the artist, their style and their artwork.”

Foot Locker US vice president of marketing Jeanine Zocks said: “The bold styles on these classic silhouettes will resonate with our customers, who are always looking for new and innovative product designs. We are excited to offer the Adidas End to End collection to our customers worldwide.”