May 10, 2022

Adidas x Gucci Stars in Its Own ’80s Fitness Catalog Ahead of Global Release

Gucci x adidas deserves all the sports-related exclamations. Such is the magnitude of the collaborative collection: it’s a veritable slam dunk, a hat trick, a grand slam. Game, set, match.

The sporting theme is of course derived from adidas x Gucci itself — revealed exclusively by Highsnobiety. It’s a collection of (what else) retro sportswear birthed from Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele rifling through adidas’ archive.

First seen during the FW22 “Exquisite Gucci” runway show, the adidas x Gucci collection is Michele’s fascination with old-school athleisure given IRL form.

It’s the kinda stuff that he’s been alluding to in Gucci collections over the years with a track jacket here and a tennis sweater there but, this time, it’s the real deal.

But Michele’s adoration of sports and self-aware kitsch isn’t inherently new to us, the adoring public, so why does adidas x Gucci still feel essential?

It’s the prestige of authenticity. Yes, it’s cool that adidas x Gucci’ co-branded track jackets, T-shirts, bags, and Gazelle sneakers exist at all, but the fact that it’s all bonafide collaborative clobber is what makes adidas x Gucci hit home.

These aren’t mere track jackets, for instance, but variations of THE adidas track jacket. Their pedigree can be traced back to the original toss-on outerwear that set the standard for all lightweight athletic windbreakers that followed. The GOAT.

Though adidas x Gucci is by basest definition a clothing collaboration, it’s also an acknowledgement of The Real Thing. Two titans of culture, founded within a couple decades of each other, coming together in harmony. The dream team.

Akin to Gucci’s The North Face collaboration, adidas x Gucci feels so right because there’s both respect for and fresh perspective of the classic pieces. The elder statesmen meet the draftees.

So, adidas x Gucci plays to the crowd with crocheted jackets, monogrammed “track” pants, and instant-classic bucket hats and caps while breaking new ground with subtly-branded safari jackets, chunky knitwear, lacey polo shirts, and creased skirts.

In the same way that a single legendary game will epitomize everything that a sports team stands for, Gucci & adidas’ collaborative accessories encapsulate the crux of the collaboration as a concise thesis statement.

The collaborative Gazelle shoes are a worthy contender for de-facto adidas x Gucci item but you could just as easily select the adidas slides shapeshifted into platform sandals, the travel cases Guccified with monogrammed canvas, or even the humble sport socks that’re transmogrified with retro day-glo color.

But it’ll be some time before they see general release, so consider this your final look (for now).

Instead, the stuff you see in the adidas x Gucci lookbook will be first to release on June 7 via Gucci’s website, the adidas CONFIRMED app, select Gucci stores, and adidas x Gucci pop-ups (details forthcoming).