For me, JJJJound’s first adidas collaboration was something of nothing: a couple Samba sneakers with a JJJJound motif emblazoned onto its side. Nice but normal.
Admittedly, that's kinda the premise of the large majority of JJJJound’s collaborations. But, then again, that’s what the people want.
JJJJound’s second adidas collaboration, however, which was first teased back in 2022 (!!) but now is finally set to drop in April 2024, is actually deserving of the hype, not least because its surprisingly excellent co-branded sneakers are arriving in tandem with some co-branded apparel too.
Yup, that’s right. Alongside their new furry new brown “Mesa/Gum” Sambas — maybe the best JJJJound sneaker collab to date — JJJJound and adidas are releasing their first-ever collaborative clothes, including a black track jacket, matching pants, nylon bags, and sporty Three Stripes jerseys.
Of course, the gear is minimalist — JJJJound minimalist, like its inline gear.
That means, like its adidas sneakers, each piece ofJJJJound's collaborative athletic clothing dons the Montreal-based label’s simplistic logo alongside the adidas Originals trefoil and, well, little else.
Sure, the clothing isn’t groundbreaking, nor are the sneakers for that, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t both mightily impressive — more so than JJJJound’s monochromatic adidas debut.
Sure, those shoes might've been made in Germany, which was certainly a subtle and premium touch, but that doesn't change the fact that they're effectively just ordinary-looking Samba sneakers (which some Instagram commenters pointed out were likely only assembled in adidas' local facilities of materials imported elsewhere).
I’ve nothing against JJJJound. In fact, I’m in awe of how Justin Saunders, the founder behind the creative imprint, can turn something seemingly plain into a hype-worthy garment.
Whatever he’s doing is clearly working, as is proven by the fact that everything the brand does sells out quicker than you can figure out how to say JJJJound.
