Adidas Forum Trainer Re-imagined by RCA Fashion Footwear & Accessories Students
RCA Fashion Footwear & Accessories students were invited by Adidas to propose a new take on the classic Adidas Forum trainer, exploring the rich history of the brand, an idea of collective memory and their personal ideas of heritage. The only restriction imposed was to keep the sole of the trainer; all other aspects of the design were up to their creative endeavours.
Designed in 1984, the Forum was the first Adidas basketball shoe available in both hi- and lo-top models, and has become one of the brand’s most iconic designs. With a durable leather upper, it was both practical on court – worn by Michael Jordan – and associated with the spread of hip-hop fashion into the mainstream. Over the decades it has had frequent re-iterations, and the original white-and-blue design was re-released last year, marking its thirtieth birthday.
This project came about through the programme’s close links to the company. Dora Szilagyi, who is a current PhD candidate and alumna of RCA Fashion Menswear MA, currently works as a designer for Adidas Originals. Through this link Flora McLean, tutor in Footwear, Accessories & Millinery, developed the project with Head of Footwear Sam Handy and Senior Footwear Designer Ilka Liebmann. Having previously worked with Menswear students at the College, Handy said he ‘was keen to bring the same level of energy and creativity to a project with Adidas Originals footwear’.
Ten prototypes were created, and out of these five were selected to be made into one-off trainers by the Adidas factory. From those, one student – Helen Kirkum – was chosen as the overall winner of the project and offered an internship with Adidas in Germany over the summer.
Kirkum began her research in the footwear archive at the Northampton Museum and Gallery. Here she found examples of vintage Adidas, selecting her favourites as well as those that represent a turning point for the brand. Kirkum then created 3D collages of potential designs from paper, applying her unique illustrative style to make what she calls 'a trainer that looks like a drawing of a trainer, for all those kids that dream of designing their own trainers’. Kirkum’s final design is a vibrant collage of ideas, which she describes as ‘an explosion of inspiration scattered all over your foot’.
The youthful aesthetic of her design is one that appealed to Handy and Liebmann. Of Kirkum’s design, Handy said, ‘I really enjoyed the way that Helen managed to combine the collective memory of the Adidas Originals footwear brand with her own personal aesthetic. I see her in the final product and also see where I can push our internal design boundaries. This is a big challenge for young designers when working within an established brand.’
One of the other designs selected to be made into a prototype at the Adidas factory was by Marco Baitella, who found a connection between personal and collective memory in the 1996 film Space Jam. From there, he chose to deconstruct a basketball to use as the material for the trainer. Baitella said the project gave him the opportunity 'to explore the world of the trainers from many aspects, in terms of technical construction and general culture’.
Another student, Ju Yeon Hong, mixed the heritage of the brand with her own, covering the trainer with motifs taken from a traditional Korean dragon. She explains, ‘In Korea, people believe that the dragon brings fortune to their life. Each part of the dragon’s body has different positive meanings, like wisdom, luck, money and success. I wanted to bring all these positive meanings into my shoes.’
The project offered students a unique opportunity to experience the process of producing trainers first-hand as well as acquiring practical skills. Visiting tutor and independent footwear consultant Nick Dunn, instructed the students in creating technical drawings for factory specifications and they received one-to-one tutorials throughout. Hong said ‘Working with Adidas was an amazing experience. Their feedback was always relevant, and moreover their comments on my work were like a catalyst, encouraging me to work harder and motivating me all the time.’
Reflecting on the project Handy said ‘I am personally never happier than when working with enthusiastic and creative people who challenge my own design preconceptions. The RCA footwear students have a freedom to look at products and in our case, the Adidas brand, in an unexpected and innovative way. It’s a pleasure and an education to work in this way.’