In terms of casual sportswear, sneakers can be considered the centerpiece of an outfit and is also often the culmination of ideas and designs, a canvas where no detail is left unnoticed. To complete the wonderfully diverse apparel line from adidas Originals by Originals (ObyO) kzk by Kazuki Kuraishi, the sneakers line-up from this collection also perpetuates the designer’s penchant for elaborate details. Aside from his own designs, this season also marks the collaboration with Hong Kong’s design collective, CLOT, and Japan-based DJ Mintos.

 

The collaborations adopt adidas Originals’ most iconic silhouettes, the Superstar 80’s and Campus 80’s. With CLOT, the duo reworked the favorite shell-toe number in a cool, ventilated ballistic nylon mesh upper with jagged white contrast stitching for the classic three-stripes. While the soles and shell toe are kept crisp and casual in white, the rest of the sneakers stay tonal with black leather lace panels, matching laces and leather tongue. The interesting differentiating point lies in the striped heel pull in colorway of the Germany flag, and the special collaborative vintage style logo tongue which marks all three logos (CLOT, kzk and adidas Originals) into the same space. The intriguing choice of material and stitching give these classic silhouettes a retro futuristic vibe that always plays with the concept of deconstructionism.

Onto the next collaboration, DJ Mintos and Kuraisihi put a fresh spin to the Campus 80’s with a streamlined, monochrome design using the all-matching grey. The shoe stays simple and clean with a grey soft pigskin leather upper with the essential three-stripes in black leather. The heel tab is matching in black leather as well but topped off with a black and white striped heel tab– a slight variation from kzkLOT’s red, black and yellow tab. The pop of color comes from an opulent gold branding on the tongue which stamps the shoe with DJ Minto’s lion (also made appearances on the matching apparel) and “Mintos” by the top stripe.

As far as branding goes, whilst the collaborations give due credit to all parties involved, Kuraishi’s own Campus 80’s opts for a void. The sneaker deviates from the greyscale and goes for full frontal color with a bright electric blue suede with a bright red heel tag. The rest of the sneakers keep it simple as the stripes are mere perforated lines, letting the colors speak for the sneakers. Also, as opposed to the busy logos on the tongue in other sneakers, this version retains only the rectangular template with “adidas ObyOKZK” and the box in the middle stays delightfully empty.

The line-up is rather solid and presents the favorite adidas Originals classics in a new light, sometimes colorful, sometimes with an added textural depth, offering easy matching kicks with their own persona and intriguing characteristics. Look out for these in the coming months alongside the apparel line, and pick up a pair of Superstars for that three-piece kzk suit for that extra kick.