Every season, fans of adidas SPEZIAL are expectant. They aren’t necessarily demanding a new collection per se, they instead yearn for something to get them by. Whether that’s a one-off release or, in SPEZIAL’s case, an exhibition, they’re a demanding bunch.
But, that’s what happens when your collections sell out as fast as Gary Aspden’s adidas SPEZIAL does. It boasts a loyal cult following and has done since its inception almost ten years ago.
This season, though, for the adidas loyalists the wait is almost over, that’s after Aspden, the line’s curator, revealed SPEZIAL’s Fall/Winter 2023 campaign, an offering that features none other than renowned Manchester United tough man, Roy Keane.
As expected, adidas SPEZIAL FW23 comprises both footwear and apparel, both of which draws inspiration from the sportswear label’s extensive archives.
The footwear is made up of seven unique silhouettes. First up, the Moscrop 2 SPZL is a revised version of the Moscrop SPZL (from its FW22 collection) in a light gray colorway with an update to the upper paneling.
Another SPEZIAL classic also makes its return as the winter-ready Hiaven SPZL is reimagined in a monochromatic black palette with an adi-Tex membrane to protect against the elements.
Turning from footwear to apparel and accessories, the collection features a number of looks with a focus on recycled fabrics. Headlining the collection are two outerwear pieces: the Haslingden Jacket and the Moorfield Anorak.
Typical of any SPEZIAL collection, the capsule — which lands in full on November 16 — also plays host to an elevated tracksuit, the Sudell TT and TP with an extended version of the classic Mod Trefoil logo which is reflected in a wrap-around mountain graphic.
T-Shirts, polo shirts, crewnecks, and hoodies round out the apparel, as beanies and a fleece-lined Chilcott Hat serve winter-ready headwear.
“For this season adidas have been resetting adidas Originals. There has been a definite shift towards archival products so we were asked by senior management to interpret the Samba and the Gazelle,” Aspden told Highsnobiety.
“The challenge was how to change them without changing them, if you will. For a SPEZIAL version we needed to come up with more than just new colors and graphic embellishments,” he continued. “With both styles we looked at numerous archival iterations from my personal archive and shoes from various other adidas collectors.”
