#FactsFriday - Jeremy Scott x adidas
Wild fashion designer Jeremy Scott first partnered up with adidas Originals in late 2008, ushering in an era in sneakers that have shoppers either running for their credit cards or seemingly running for their lives.
If you’re looking for a sneaker that’s subtle, nuanced and low-key, you may want to pass right by the Jeremy Scott section at your sneaker store. Jeremy Scott’s boundary-pushing, and long running collaboration with adidas has produced some of the most unique footwear of all time, but some models stand out – for one reason or another – even more than others.
He is a visionary whose candy-coloured imagination, show-stopping creations and bizarre public image are unrivaled by anyone in the business, Jeremy Scott hasn’t gotten where he is through subtleness. When his design chops aren’t being called upon by his star-studded squad of pop music’s elite – Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, Katy Perry and A$AP Rocky, to name a few – he’s slapping everything from wings to stuffed animals on adidas collaborations and churning out gaudy, pop culture-infused pieces as Moschino’s creative director.
Shackle Sneaker
Back in 2012, the eccentric designer stirred up racial turmoil when adidas posted a photo of their forthcoming sneaker collaboration ahead of its market release. The Jeremy Scott x adidas Roundhouse Mid “Handcuffs,” a revamped iteration of the Roundhouse silhouette, featured a yellow plastic chain and cuff attachment on the heel, which many viewed as a reference to slavery.
After an outbreak of negative attention, adidas was forced to pull the sneakers from release, issuing the following statement: “The design of the JS Roundhouse Mid is nothing more than the designer Jeremy Scott’s outrageous and unique take on fashion and has nothing to do with slavery … We apologize if people are offended by the design and we are withdrawing our plans to make them available in the marketplace.”
Teddy Bear/Poodle Sneakers
Though not boldly contentious, these furry footwear left more than a few sneaker junkies and streetwear blogs scratching their heads in disbelief when they were first launched back in 2011. The sneakers, offered in beige and bubblegum pink colourways, integrated a full-fledged teddy bear into the tongue and upper complete with free-moving arms. The first of many kooky JS collaborations with the footwear giant, the shoes were undoubtedly one of the most audacious pieces ever to emerge from an adidas Originals collaboration.
His “more is more” attitude has left perhaps one of the most significant imprints in fashion and pop-culture history to date, leading many to question his antics and call out his artistic inspiration. But whether he’s a nostalgist, plagiarist or all-around mentalist, Jeremy Scott has certainly left countless heads turning and many (many) people talking throughout his career.
adidas x Jeremy Scott JS Eagle Wing
adidas x Jeremy Scott JS Wings 2.0 Money
adidas x Jeremy Scott JS Letters Multicolour