Consortium SS13 adidas Originals x UNDFTD x BAPE

• SERIES: ADIDAS CONSORTIUM
• PACK: ADIDAS X BAPE X UNDFTD SS13
• DESIGNED BY: UNDFTD / BAPE
• MADE IN: VIETNAM
• MADE ON: --/12

If A Bathing Ape and Undefeated helped make 2013 an exciting year for adidas Originals fans with the release of these three sweet Consortium drops then our three-way interview with the involved designers should be icing on the cake.

Sitting down with James Bond from UNDFTD, Dan Doyle from BAPE, and Daniel Bauer (Category Manager Sport Heritage) from the adidas Consortium team, we were able to dig into the heart of this collab, determining where everyone came from with their inspirations and even what led to the delayed release.

First, thank you all for joining us today. Daniel, lets start with you; it would be silly to ask ‘why BAPE?’ or ‘why UNDFTD?’, but maybe it makes sense to ask ‘why both of them together’?

Daniel Bauer (adidas Consortium): The answer is much more simple than you would think. We have had a good relationship with both brands for a long time. We constantly work with James from Undefeated on different projects and also worked with BAPE on the B-side release of the Superstar 80s. James actually called up and asked if we would be up for doing this project with BAPE. Knowing what a great product we can expect from both partners, we immediately got excited about it.

Sounds like your past work with adidas really left a mark on you two, how did the past collabs leaving you feeling?

Dan Doyle (BAPE): We always learn a lot from our collaborators and have a deep respect for adidas, the way they work and the creative freedom we get when we work together. Collaborations always provide a great opportunity to challenge yourself and others to innovate. adidas supply us with the right set of tools to do this every time we work together and to accomplish the high standards we set ourselves when taking on projects like this.

And James, do have any favorite collabs you’ve done with adidas in the past?

James Bond (UNDFTD): Our first, the 35th Anniversary of the shell toe, was the best.

Tell us, Daniel, how does the design process work when there are multiple designers involved with adidas Consortium?

DB: It usually varies with each partner. On this project, we had James and his team from Undefeated talking to BAPE directly about ideas which they then sent to us. We fine-tuned or approved the designs and got them into the right format for production. But to be frank, knowing the people you work with and sharing their values made this such an easy process; and the designs James sent were always spot on.

Alright, so how much control or input does the Consortium team actually impose?

DB: As I’ve said, this is a long time relationship between both brands and therefore our collaborations are collaborations in the true sense of the word. Within the creation phase we send ideas back and forth, for both the general concept as well as the models themselves, and also the materials, executions, and so on.

It must be a veritable pleasure to work with Consortium then, if you’re a designer of such a caliber as these two! Dan, James, what was the collab process between your brands like? Was this your first time working together?

JB: Yes, first time, and the process was quite easy once we agreed on everything and got going.

DD: Besides the sneaker we also worked on a capsule collection before the adidas release, it was an absolute pleasure and we really respect what UNDFTD are doing and the energy and enthusiasm they bring with them. We would love to work with them again on other projects.

And as for the design of these shoes, can you tell us how you made your decisions?

JB: Lifestyle and performance, since at the time we weren’t pushing performance-based products we wanted a lifestyle piece as opposed to performance.

Speaking of lifestyle – or Originals – versus Performance, we actually had a few questions about adidas lines in general. Daniel, can you tell us what ‘Consortium’ actually means?

DB: The dictionary describes ‘Consortium’ as an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations, or governments (or any combination of these entities) with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for achieving a common goal. To us, it’s our unique and limited sneaker concept to showcase our brand heritage; today’s premium Originals footwear offer and it’s our most exclusive tool to push new ideas, concepts, and exciting models on a really selected distribution level.

Ok, so when exactly does the adidas brand decide that the Consortium team will take over a project?

DB: The Consortium team works on concepts and products, approaches partners about ideas of working together, and are approached by partners and brands too. So Consortium, as a concept, is managed and created in a very proactive way. We always first decide if it’s relevant to the consumer, but also if it makes a difference and is appealing or fun. What matters in the end is that people like the product, see the value in it, and would line up to get a pair of unique shoes that will be a one-off.

Quite a concept indeed. And Dan, this isn’t your first run with Consortium, can you tell us which design elements you’ve carried from your past collabs with adidas into these current releases?

DD: There’s definitely a classic theme that runs through the collaborations we have worked on with adidas. For this project we decided to take the Campus shoe and the BAPE camo, then update the design of the shoe by removing the stripes to give it a cleaner look, only adding the camo as an accent. With each one of these collaborations we’re trying to mix the best classic elements of the brands while giving something fresh and new to the product.

You certainly succeeded. And what would you say were the new design elements which you brought to this project that you haven’t tried before?

DD: One of the really exciting things about this collaboration was the inclusion of the ZX 5000. Bringing a technical running shoe into the project was a new element for us and the feedback has been incredible. This is something we would never have tried before and we’re really happy with the result.

We can see why! Now, with two different design directions at once, how did you manage to show your own styles and signatures?

JB: I think in choosing the models we showed our style, and by adding the BAPE camo we flexed their signature.

About that, how did you pick these models in the end?

DD: This was all made possible by working with the guys at Undefeated in regards to getting all the elements right. They have a really good sensibility and strong creative vision. When brought together the collection stood apart from what we had done before.

JB: For me, the adidas Campus is an everyday shoe and the ZX runner is a silhouette I’ve always admired for its simplicity. Plus it’s a great palette to color and modify.

Lastly, we realize this may be a bit delicate, but can you tell us why the ZX 5000 was so delayed?

DB: Consortium is about our brand’s most valuable and premium footwear, authentic products with a story or a partnership that is unique. The customers that line up for a pair of adidas sneakers expect authentic products and premium quality from our brand and it’s our prime focus to meet or exceed these expectations and the expectations of the partners we work with. We have been very thoughtful on the quality of materials we picked for the BAPE x Undefeated release and simply figured out in the course of the creation that it needed a few more attempts for the product to be right, and more importantly, produced in the quality we’re happy with. In particular the camouflage print, in laser-sharp quality, was not easy to get right on the smooth and premium leather, so we had to take a few rounds in the sampling to get to perfection. It’s our aim for perfection that made us take this very unusual and unpopular call of postponing the product, but our partners supported us for all these reasons.

Thanks so much for being honest with us Daniel, it’s good to know that adidas is still, at its heart, embodying the perfectionism that it seems Adi himself embodied back in the day. And thank you James and Dan, for not only sitting down with us to fill our ears but pushing out another round of sweet footwear to fill our steps. We’ll eagerly await the next collabo, but until then, eatmoreshoes will be wishing a terrifically successful Springt o everyone involved on this killer camo collab.

written by Dylan Cromwell

photography by errol