Donald Glover and Adidas Announce Creative Partnership 'Inspired by Limitless Creativity'
Over the weekend, Childish Gambino (aka Donald Glover) released an animated visual for his new single "Feels Like Summer," which featured a crying Kanye West wearing a MAGA hat while being consoled by our forever first lady Michelle Obama; Nicki Minaj building up her castle only to have Travis Scott destroy all her hard work, and plenty of other pop cultural references.
At the end of the video, exhausted and tired from his stroll, Gambino returned home and the video ended—or so we thought. A few days later, Gambino returned with the sequel to his animated video, this time announcing a new partnership with Adidas.
In it, Gambino removes his old pair of sneakers and slips on a new pair of classic Adidas kicks, then he just looks at the camera. No words, no quotes, leaving many to think the multi-hyphenate and Adidas were set to collaborate on a sneaker. And they were right. According to the official press release, Glover is joining Adidas as the brand co-creator.
"I believe it’s important not to feel like ideas are bound by specific guidelines and adidas Originals has given me the opportunity to create on my own terms," Glover said. "I’m looking forward to seeing what that leads to."
The partnership, which Adidas says is "built on a foundation of mutual creative respect" will see Glover working with the brand on a slew of creative projects (presumably similar to the animated announcement he directed), footwear, and apparel.
"With this partnership, we want to challenge the parameters of a conventional brand collaboration—cutting through the indiscriminate noise of contemporary culture to create something special," Jenny Pham, senior director of global brand marketing and communications at adidas Originals added. "Donald is a unique, multi-faceted creator who is truly a manifestation of limitless and uncompromising creativity. Our partnership is one that will allow both the brand and the artist to create in revolutionary new ways."