Tom Dixon has dived into uncharted waters in an unprecedented collaboration with sportswear company Adidas, premiering new typologies of bags and apparel, the base of the collection comprises two travel bags typologies – the hard and the soft – an experiment in capsule thinking in which luggage unclasps, unzips and unfolds to reveal multiple layers.
Tom Dixon and Adidas do many things well in significantly separate spaces, rarely crossing over. However, this project was conceived in order that they may explore each other’s abilities over the next 2 or more years – – a chance to combine the technical expertise of the German sports powerhouse with British design and innovation – for a collection of design-driven travel bags, garments and footwear.
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The beginning of this new collaborative design hybrid was debuted in Milan within an immense environment of a reconstructed 19th Century Railway Station at MOST, in the Museum of Science and Technology. The Milan Museum already encapsulates the history of industrial travel and design, creating an appropriate and dynamic backdrop for this launch collection.
The Adidas collaboration is not Dixon’s first foray into clothing design – in 2006 he designed polo shirts for Lacoste – but it is his most ambitious
Tom Dixon is well certainly known for his radical and highly influential selvage aesthetic, and is also a champion of honest materials and British craftsmanship. On the other hand whilst Tom is not renowned for any particular sporting prowess or proficiencies, the innovative collection does offer an exciting insight toward the future of Sport Style.
Tom wanted to a clothing line inspired by his passion for technical fabrics and his reflections on the long waiting times spent in airports.
soft and hard capsules
The strikingly elegant collection includess a range of canvas garments with attractive rough edges and fused seams that showcases the collaboration’s end goal of blending Adidas’ technical and performance-based materials with Dixon’s refined design.
Marking the first of the collaboration’s four capsule collections to be introduced over the next two years, Tom & Adidas showcased two styles of capsule bags, ‘the hard and the soft’, as well as clothing and footwear.
The Capsule Collection develops around two suitcases: a hard one and a soft one that open up revealing their content: a series of garments (with perfect colours, cut and fit) sufficient for a one-week trip: trousers, T-shirts, outerwear jacket and shoes.
Inside, the bags reveal a complete kit of parts ( designed specifically for Tom’s week long stay at the Salone ) – neatly, crisply and compactly folded with maximum efficiency to provide a complete wardrobe for every possible occasion – – each one unclasping, unzipping and unfolding to reveal multiple layers.
Everything can be perfectly folded occupying the smallest amount of space inside the suitcase. All garments are unisex and can transform according to the different seasons of the year. Boots, beach and city wear shoes, designed to be folded and packed without taking up too much space.
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The line is gender-neutral, a collection of t-shirts, gym shorts, jackets hoodies, parkas and kitbags that reference both vintage sportswear and Dixon’s interest in industry, with the range exhibited in a production line carousel at a 19th Century railway station.
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This singular sensibility is expressed in padded parkas that convert to sleeping bags, ‘ultralite’ hoodies that can be zipped into small pouches during travel, and a spectacular modular five-in-one overall design that converts to a coat, jacket, pant, skirt, or short.
A down overcoat that becomes a sleeping bag shows a bit of Dixon’s cheekiness, while two travel bags were designed specifically to accommodate all that one would need for a week-long stay in Milan, complete with detachable, specialized compartments.
Accessories also work double and triple duty as duffle bags convert to suitcases and garment bags to backpacks.
While each piece is undoubtedly inspired by Dixon’s monochromatic tendencies and Adidas’ athleticism, they are free from prominent markings to leave their origin slightly ambiguous—a conscious decision we prefer over many over-branded collaborations.
This minimalism is best seen in the footwear, which does without Adidas’ signature “tri-stripe” and instead opts for a clean suede silhouette punctuated only by a rubberized cap toe. The shoe is available in a low-top, chukka and boot, and is constructed entirely of three pieces with a bit of stitching and a single strip of vulcanizing tape holding it all together.
The collection extends way beyond a pair of minimalist boots, however the range of transformable pieces will bring the brand a lot of recognition.
As a guide – the apparel is expected to be priced from € 110 to € 1300, while footwear ranges from € 170 to € 270 and accessories from € 220 to € 350.
The Tom Dixon + Adidas capsule collection is set to be announced in its entirety in November 2013, available for purchase in early January 2014.
