adidas archive tour: Inspiration from heritage and history
A visit to the adidas archive in Herzogenaurach is the absolute ultimate for every fan of the brand. The idea of being able to stand in front of the never-ending vintage originals has been on our minds for far too long. The anticipation was accordingly great when we were able to raffle off an archive visit as part of the adidas ZX 6000 release.
All in-store customers had the opportunity to participate in the raffle, so that a considerable number of true ZX fans had gathered at asphaltgold sneakerstore at Friedensplatz. The lucky winner was Friedrich, a native Berliner with a good portion of adidas affinity!
The destination address was Adi-Dassler Platz 1 and already on the way there it turned out that Friedrich's heart beats in the form of the Trefoil. Arriving at the campus we realized that we would leave some meters behind us on this sunny day - the area is huge! Our first destination was the "Laces", this building complex, completed in 2011, is home to all things design and marketing and is a workplace for around 1700 employees.
Warmup in the adidas Makers Lab
The Makers Lab is both a workshop and a creative space. Experimentation is expressly encouraged here, and this is also evident in the variety of different design approaches on display. Surrounded by an endless selection of fabrics, materials and tools, there are no limits to creativity here. So we had the opportunity to design our own mini sneakers and everyone tried to go home with their own custom. Armed with hot glue guns and other tools, we also learned the first facts about the building and the history of Brand.
Afterwards, we were taken through the Walk of Fame, where we got to see some unique pieces from 1934 hiking boots to RUN DMC ́s superstars to David Beckham's adidas Predator. This historical outline, accompanied by film footage and text passages from the time, managed to give us an even better understanding of Adi Dassler's creative work and entrepreneurship.
Last but absolutely not least was the main topic - the visit to the archive. The adidas archive is located in the basement of the Laces, has a permanent temperature of 18 degrees Celsius and the humidity is set at 55%. The perfect climate to keep the old materials in their original state for as long as possible.... But it was clear to us that we would soon start sweating anyway. The moment had come when Susan handed us the white gloves and a feeling of absolute satisfaction spread through the group. Even though our focus is clearly on shoes, it was a unique experience to see the variety of different textiles, bags or balls. Many top athletes return their special adidas items to the brand so that the specimens can be preserved in the best possible way.
adidas OG ZX series
... here we had a firework of the extra class! Beside some ZX models with three-digit model names, it was especially the ZX 1000c, 3000 S and the 9020 that amazed us. After all, you don't see such calibers in the flesh every day. The competition racer among the ZXs is the ZX 8500, which also stood in front of us in the original and caused enthusiasm with its enormous colors without exception. At the same time, the call for a retro reissue came up several times - proof that adidas still has some unreleased irons in the fire! We spent the last moments in the archive looking at more vintage boxes and getting lost in the aisles. We couldn't get out of our amazement and the enthusiasm could still be seen in all of us even days later.
We thank adidas for this unique opportunity!
Author: Asphaltgold |