Products and Design

adidas Weaving Pharrell's Bionic Yarn Into New Originals Collection

On Thursday, adidas announced a long-term partnership with recording artist and producer Pharrell Williams on a new adidas Originals line of shoes and apparel. The first adidas Originals x Pharrell Williams products will debut this summer.Details of the collaboration are being kept tightly under wraps, but a teaser video released Thursday provides a glimpse:"Working with an iconic brand like adidas is such an incredible opportunity,” Williams said. “From the classic track suit, to growing up in Virginia wearing Stan Smiths, adidas has been a staple in my life. Their pieces are timeless. This is an exciting partnership for both me and for Bionic Yarn."

By Jennifer Elks | Published 10 years ago | About a 2 minute read

Details of the collaboration are being kept tightly under wraps, but a teaser video released Thursday provides a glimpse:

This is the first time adidas has partnered with a designer with his own textile company: Williams co-founded Bionic Yarn in 2010 to produce fabric from marine plastic — the collaboration will incorporate Bionic fabric into some of Williams' adidas Originals products.

"I am truly thrilled to work with Pharrell,” said Dirk Schoenberger, Global Creative Director of adidas' Sport Style Division. “He is a pop-culture icon that never fails to inspire, not just through his musical talent and craft, but through his many other interests. He is the perfect fit for the multi-faceted company that is adidas."

While Williams is no stranger to fashion – with collaborations already in the works with G-Star (on a line of denim featuring Bionic Yarn fabric, also set to debut this summer), Uniqlo, Comme des Garçons and Moncler, according to Elle — adidas is no stranger to teaming up with designers from the music world; Williams is the latest in a recent string of collaborations with artists including Kanye West and Nigo.

Last month, adidas released a video detailing its commitment to more sustainable materials and waste minimization in its design and manufacturing processes — adidas by Stella McCartney range, released February 1, includes Low-Waste Tees and Shorts made from 95 percent organic fabric and created through precise cutting techniques to ensure 95 percent of the fabric used makes it into the final products, with the remaining 5 percent recycled or repurposed; the Running apparel line was designed to maintain high-performance objectives while reducing material use as much as possible. Through changing the pattern, the team was able to increase pattern efficiency to 96 percent — meaning 4 percent of the materials, such as inlay soles, textiles, finishings and rubber, were recycled for use in other products, adidas says. The line became available in Fall/Winter 2013.