Adidas evokes the past in Originals brand platform

—Trio of films by New York’s Johannes Leonardo echo the brand’s famous three stripes—

By Will Green

Adidas has released a trio of films as part of a new global brand platform celebrating its Originals range.

The campaign, “We gave the world an original. You gave us a thousand back,” was created by New York shop Johannes Leonardo. It features memorable soundtracks and fast edits offering a kaleidoscopic view of life in the US.

The 30-second films—“Superstar” directed by Daniel Wolfe; “Samba” by Justyna Obasi; and “Gazelle” by Will Dhorn—all made through Lovesong with support from Monkey Films, evoke past decades with grainy “archival” footage.

A large cast of characters in Adidas gear play sport or run, skate and dance their way through the ads, including pro skaters Mike Arnold and Miles Silvas who appear in “Gazelle.”

A series of still images, shot by Chadwick Taylor and featuring Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham, Jenna Ortega, Pusha T, Jamiroquai, Jude Bellingham, Sam Fender and Joy Crookes, accompanies the films.

Adidas said the campaign was “developed through an extensive research process, which sought to accurately represent the stories of all three silhouettes. Archival information tracked the history of each shoe through the years, from their creation to the subcultures that have adopted them.”

For the soundtracks, “Superstar” features “Tears” by Giorgio Moroder, while “Gazelle” uses “Running One” by Johnny Klimek, Reinhold Heil and Tom Tykwer, and “Samba” features T. Rex’s “Cosmic Dancer.”


This story originally appeared on Campaign U.K.

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