Adidas’ partnership with fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto is not new; in fact, the relationship started in 2002 when Adidas launched the Y-3 line. However, the line’s latest campaign moves Adidas further away from just selling product and towards the creation of wearable art.
In a video verging on action-movie fight sequence, Y-3’s Autumn/ Winter 2016 line shows models racing through empty industrial spaces to the electronic beat of runway music. Futuristic and minimalist, the campaign’s style—and price range—are targeted towards high fashion and high spending consumers. Adidas seems to believe that what could be the trailer for a upcoming thriller is the best medium for attracting these buyers.
Even the website boasts a sleek design; with most photographs in black and white, the consumer is forced to pay attention to line and texture, not color. The sleek lines of the clothes mirror the simple website design, and the contemporary setting of the video. The attention to aesthetic details emphasizes art and fashion, not athletic function.
While the constant motion of the models in the video reminds us that Adidas has its foundation in athletic wear, the pieces on display demand artistic recognition. By opening the line’s campaign with a suspenseful, yet anticlimactic, short film, Adidas is doing more than expanding its brand identity; it is demanding its place among fashion forward designer lines.
Credits: