Check out these new Adidas trainers created by a Saudi designer
Fusing traditional Arabic tailoring with contemporary design…
Sportswear giant Adidas has tapped Saudi designer Arwa Al Banawi to redesign the brand’s classic trainers.
Al Banawi, who champions female empowerment through her brand, translates her unique design cues onto the Forum Lo.
Since launching her eponymous label in 2015, Al Banawi has won plaudits for her fusion of western and Arab cultures while retaining the best of both. Edgy T-shirts, dresses and jackets blend western tailoring with Arabic calligraphy and messages that offer authentic cultural touch points as dynamic fashion.
With the Forum Lo, she takes inspiration from her spirit animal, the Ibex (mountain goat), in an ode to Saudi heritage and identity. The trainers feature a canvas upper with premium suede overlays.
The silhouette adopts pastel desert hues, reworking its signature three stripes in soft-touch leather, matching its hand-stitched embroidery.
The design incorporates a classical pattern called ‘houndstooth’ and the colours are inspired by the shemagh and other traditional Arabian fabrics. The distinctive red and white pattern is wrapped around the heel. Branded lace tags, a unique graphic insole, and gold foil dual-branded accents round off the look.
The Arwa Al Banawi x Adidas Originals Forum Lo is launched from the AlUla desert today (May 25), with an exclusive early access opportunity to the GCC countries.
To mirror Al Banawi’s penchant for mixing East with West and traditional tailoring with contemporary design details, Adidas has placed an art installation in the middle of the AlUla desert that strongly contrasts the glistening golden sand and mountains of the Kingdom’s landscape.
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Early access to limited pairs of the Arwa Al Banawi x Adidas Originals Forum Lo is made available virtually. The Gulf region can shop directly from today (May 25) at 5pm (KSA time) and the Adidas Confirmed app in Europe and the U.S. The trainers will then be launched globally online and through selected retailers on May 28.
Images: Provided / Instagram