Adidas and Prada’s partnership just got thrice as nice.
The two brands are poised to fete the “third chapter” of their ongoing collaboration this month with Adidas for Prada Re-Nylon, a collection of ready-to-wear clothing, accessories, bags and shoes that “reimagines luxury sportswear through a more sustainable lens” by marrying Prada’s high-end heritage and Adidas’ athletic knowhow.
The focus of the mashup is Prada’s Re-Nylon fabric, a “regenerated” alternative to virgin nylon derived from reclaimed ocean plastic, fishing nets and textile waste. Since the end of 2021, Prada has switched over to the recycled version, which it claims can be purified and recycled indefinitely with no drop in quality. The material was developed in tandem with fellow Italian company Aquafil, whose own Econyl fabric has been adopted by hundreds of brands, including Reformation and Stella McCartney. Prada has re-skinned many of its classic styles, including its 1984 nylon backpack, in Re-Nylon.
Now, it’s Adidas’s turn. The lineup naturally includes sneakers, specifically remixes of the German giant’s Originals Forum High and Low silhouettes in monochromatic black and white colorways. Dubbed “simultaneously elegant and subversive,” the shoes feature leather Three Stripes details and forefoot overlays, along with removable Prada mini-pouch attachments embellished with those instantly recognizable enameled metal triangles.
The ready-to-wear portion of the collection sees Prada “turning its focus inward” by reworking many of its iconic pieces, including its track coat, tracksuit, hooded jacket and bucket hat, with Adidas branding and Re-Nylon cladding. Each piece is available in either black with white stripes or white with black stripes and topped, once again, with Prada’s three-sided logo.
Polishing everything off are the bags, which Prada said “authentically” reflect its design language while “fusing the DNA of both brands.” The crossover includes no fewer than six Re-Nylon carryalls, including a travel bag, backpack, bandoleer and belt bag. Each piece, it added, is “brought to life” through the “blending of two timeless emblems”: the Triple Stripes and the metal triangle.
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The Adidas and Prada partnership is part of a continuing trend of unexpected brand combinations, such as Supreme x Louis Vuitton, The North Face x Gucci, Skims x Fendi and Fendi x Versace, that merge the rarified with cult, Old World with New, to bubble up a new kind of clout.
Seizing the zeitgeist further, the brands say they will be toasting the “inherently innovative spirit” of the collection with a unique digital activation that incorporates the Matrix-like frontier of the “metaverse” in a “radically inclusive manner.” Adidas recently revealed its own virtual-world ambitions by unveiling a Proof of Attendance Protocol that it described as “the first step in our journey to empower the creators of tomorrow to thrive in the metaverse.”
Crafted in Italy, the Adidas for Prada Re-Nylon collection rolls out on Jan. 13 and will be available at Prada boutiques worldwide as well as online at the Prada and Adidas websites.