adidas Skateboarding x Henry Jones
Pairing with Pennsylvanian artist Henry Jones on their latest artist-series instalment, sportswear pioneers adidas Skateboarding combine nostalgia, cartoonish undertones and an animated sense of spirit to address a fresh batch of new-season apparel.
Dubbed the ‘badge of sport’ thanks to their iconic Trefoil emblem and their inclusive ‘creating for and with the creators’ ethos, adidas is no stranger to producing cultivated, cultured and creative aesthetics. Putting aside their time-honoured triple-stripe iconography and their internationally acclaimed Trefoil, powerhouse adidas has acquired itself a wealth of collaborative artist-series collections over their century-long reign. Trans-seasonal hook-ups with the likes of Californian legend Mark Gonzales continue to capture the skater’s ‘Shmoo’ graphic in all its glory, whilst 2018’s ‘Respect Your Roots’ capsule release from skater-turned-artist Brian Lotti ranks in alongside team-rider A$AP Ferg’s throwback ‘Traplord’ release at the Miami Beach Art Basel and psychedelic artist Bonethrower’s memento-mori inspired collection to honour adidas’ endless admiration for creative expression and unrestrained talent. That being said, adidas’ creative collaborations continue to stretch far beyond the realm of skate, with their 2009 pairing with stencil-artist Pochoir marking the pro-active redesign of their London Icon Store ‘No 6’ as part of their ‘Five Two 3’ release.
Self-described as an artist that likes to ‘satirize all the different weird expectations and norms that skateboarders impose on themselves’, West Chester based artist Henry Jones combines fine-line illustrative decals with a fun-loving spirit to address both social restraints and contemporary hot-topics through his unique and cartoonish aesthetic. Inspired by the likes of former Powell Peralta employee Sean Cliver, animation enthusiast Hayao Miyazaki and his own mother, Jones’ distinctive art-style offers a youthful and spritely aura well-suited to adidas’ ageless legacy. Led by his mantra, ‘make art because you like making art’, Jones has acquired many notable partnerships over the years, curating custom-designed decks for the likes of Dan Connelly and Josh Priebe’s Sk8mafia, signature tees for LA-based Artform and skater Jahmir Brown and an anti-racism capsule collection for the USA Skateboarding Collaboration. His artistic ventures don’t end there though, Jones is also the co-producer and illustrator of the innovative children’s novel ‘My First Skateboard’ - a skate-centric book, designed in partnership with professional skater Karl Watson, aimed at inspiring youngsters and highlighting the welcoming community surrounding skate culture within the current climate.
For fans of Adi Dassler’s Trefoil, multifaceted skater-come-artist Jones welcomes his own fresh take on the triple-spoke design via both the chest-branded Push tee and the brushed-grey Can profile. Flipped on the reverse, custom push-to-skate character detailing pays subtle homage to the similarly titled Tod Swank artist series Jones curated in collaboration with Foundation Skateboards, whilst the can-tricking illustrative detailing on the Can T-Shirt complements the deck-like Trefoil for a playful yet referencial twist on a wardrobe classic. Maintaining the artist’s youthful spirit and laid-back vibes, adidas keeps the collection fresh in colour with pastel tones and washed detailings offering obvious throwback hints to classic ‘90s stylings. Crafted from 100% cotton single-jersey for a lightweight yet reliable sense of layering, the long-sleeved Truck tee features a panoramic stitch-trick sequential print across the front on top of a curbside parked Trefoil truck, whilst the semi-recycled Deckfoil hoodie remains faithful to its mix-match namesake with illustrative triple-deck detailing replacing the iconic ‘badge of sport’ logo to curate a creative and trivial twist.
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