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Quotes: Adidas Spezial

published on 18 July 2013

Famous fans – including Max Pearmain and Ian Brown – discuss their Adidas memories at the Spezial exhibition opening...

Famous fans – including Max Pearmain and Ian Brown – discuss their Adidas memories at the Spezial exhibition opening...

'Nicking off school one afternoon, I had my first encounter with adidas in a most unlikely place. A few local lads had been Inter Railing for trainers and were using a corner of the local tool hire shop to pedal their wares. It was unbelievable - Stockholms, Galaxys, Suisse, Jaguar-super, Grand Slam - about 60 pairs laid out on the shop floor, not your usual way to get tooled up!'
– Gary Watson (Art Director)

'1986 and Run DMC released the classic "My adidas". Up until then I'd worn Samba's as part of my school uniform but with the purchase of a pair of Black and White shell toes, untied fat laces and that hip hop classic adidas became more than sneakers, they were a statement.'
– Simon Taylor (Tomato Studio)

'You'd be sick if you saw my adidas collection...you would be physically sick if you saw it. I'm not gonna say where it is.'
– Ian Brown (The Stone Roses)

'I managed to win 4-cup finals and 3 league titles in the Copa Mundial's - one of the greatest boots on the planet. No other boots have bought me such comfort and luck and I have tried everything. I bought 13 pairs of World Cups and mundials as I heard that they might be discontinued - it wasn't true.'
– Mubi Ali (Crooked Tongues)

'These adidas went from our street corners to around the world, to fame and fortune and changed peoples lives. We took the Superstar which was from the superstar athletes and made the Superstar available to the average person wherever they was at. Because everybody is truly a superstar. Other sneakers are just sneakers, adidas shell toes are a statement!'
– DMC

'A personal favourite shoe that we made for Footpatrol was the Campus 80s. To make this right we didn't have to do that much to it except choose the classic colours like the burgundy and gold suede. The hard thing to do was to make it our own without spoiling it. Our solution was to make the inside stripes tonal.'
– Michael Kopelman (Gimme 5)

'There's something brilliant about Climacools. A technical sports shoe using a number of ideas – lightweight, breathable, contrasting materials, adiprene sole. I'm sure they came from a host of fitness-led research somewhere in a German laboratory - in complete contrast to the 'yoot' interpretation in this country. Worn confidently with well cut jeans or a pin-tucked track pant, a balance of comfort and attitude.'
– Max Pearmain (Editor - Arena Homme+)

Transcription:
Lara Mackenzie Lee, Sarah Buchanan

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