Adidas X Gucci

A collaboration we’ve been waiting months for, Adidas X Gucci has finally been announced at Milan Fashion Week. The rumours were up in the air in late 2021, and the pieces have lived up to the expectations.

The collection perfectly intertwines Gucci’s luxury Italian tailorship and athleisure styles from Adidas.

Adidas X Gucci Suits via Adidas Confirmed

One piece is a classic Tweed double breasted suit, featuring the Adidas’ iconic three stripes on both the suit jacket and trousers. We weren’t just shown one suit, but multiple different styles and materials. The selection included blue corduroy, green pin stripe, asymmetrical monogram, and an incredible stripe glitter number.

Adidas X Gucci via Adidas Confirmed

Another look focuses on the vibrant green trousers with Gucci and Adidas logos in the GG Supreme monogram style. The Supreme monogram was first used in the 1970s, and created as a tribute to Guccio Gucci after his death in the 1950s.

Adidas X Gucci via Adidas Confirmed

Milan Fashion Week presented a wide range of styles within the collaboration, featuring a lingerie bodysuit paired with a mustard fur coat and corsets with strong boning details. The collaboration revealed a crochet matching set, which is giving off strong Grandma tablecloth vibes. One piece that stands out is the silk ruffle dress. While the dress is breaking modern fashion boundaries, it really deserves to go back to the Elizabethan era in the history books.

Gucci X The North Face Adidas x Prada

It's not the first collaboration Gucci or Adidas have done. Both brands are famous for their collaborations, which gain impressive media attention. Gucci has joined forces with some of the biggest brands including Balenciaga and Disney. Arguably the best collaboration in recent years is the Gucci x The North Face which was released in 2020 and 2021. The collection brought the luxury feel to outdoor, practical clothing. The first chapter of the collection in 2020 brought the 70s nostalgia and styles, whereas chapter 2 in 2021 reinspired styles from the nineties. Adidas has collaborated with the likes of Stella McCartney, Prada and Beyonce, creating iconic pieces combining both company’s styles. The Adidas x Prada collaboration released sportswear inspired Re-Nylon pieces and distinctively Prada influenced Superstars.

Rudolpho & Guccio Gucci, late 1940 Adi Dassler

Despite leading the way forward with many styles today, Gucci has had a varying history. Dating back to 1921, Guccio Gucci began producing luxury travel goods for upper-class citizens in Italy. Gucci focused on leather goods, shoes and handbags, before expanding their portfolio in the mid 60s to watches, jewellery and eyewear. Despite a period of uncertainty for the brand in the 1980s after Gucci was passed down to Guccio’s grandson, Gucci sprung back after Tom Ford was appointed as ready-to-wear designer before becoming creative director in 1994. Since then, Frida Giannin replaced Ford in 2004 and then replaced by Alessandro Michele in 2015. Under Michele’s direction of the brand, Gucci announced a 11% increase in profits.

Along with Gucci, Adidas has rich history in the fashion and sports industry. Adidas began in 1949 in Germany and the three-stripe icon was born. The aim of the brand was to create the best possible sporting equipment for athletes. The creator, Adi Dassler, listened and observed athletes to find out exactly what they needed and adapted to fit the needs. The success of Adidas grew, and even created a shoe that provided performance statistics in 1984. Adidas merged with art and hip-hop artists, which resulted in fashion and non-athletic styles taking off within the brand. After the death of Adi Dassler, his wife and son took over the business. Adidas was close to bankruptcy, but the brand grew again after Robert Louis-Dreyfus joined in 1993. From then, Adidas grew again and kept the focus on innovative technology and athlete’s needs, along with fashion athleisure clothing.

Adidas Superstars Gucci Supreme Monogram Bag

It could be said that the successes of both brands are of a result of the impact on the fashion industry. Gucci constantly pushes boundaries of fashion, with incredible pieces shown on the runway. Gucci is a brand many fashion lovers aspire to own, and items are classed as investment pieces. The seasonal releases trickle down to street level through other brands taking inspiration from the brand. Adidas constantly keeps up with demand from society - from sustainability to wearable technology. The brand meets the needs of most demographics, from the sports or fashion perspective, resulting in being one of the most recognised brands in the world.

The use of collaborations brings excitement and unexpectedness. Different brands that usually would not be expected together create incredible pieces, bringing new ideas, iconic designs, and nostalgia together.