When Gary Aspden founded adidas SPEZIAL back in 2014, he did so with the intention of revamping archival silhouettes from the sportswear label’s extensive archives in new and contemporary ways.
The designer, who has been working with adidas in some capacity since the early nineties, also set out to create a line in SPEZIAL that didn’t rely on the then-burgeoning collaboration trend, but to instead focus on creating its own foundations — something of a rarity in the mid-2010s.
Speaking to Highsnobiety following the reveal of SPEZIAL Fall/Winter 2023 (which features a certain Roy Keane as its poster boy), Aspden is clearly proud of what he and his team has achieved in the decade since, and can you blame him?
Since its inception, SPEZIAL has garnered a loyal cult-like following and the label's motif has become almost inescapable across the country’s football terraces.
“We’ve built a solid and devoted core audience and consistently stuck closely to our own path without chasing short term trends and the low hanging fruit of brand collaborations,” Aspden tells Highsnobiety.
“I had worked on a number of collaborations for adidas in the early 2000s and wanted to see if we could build something new with SPEZIAL that was a departure from that. We set out to be very economic with our reliance on bringing in collaborative partners which is a rare thing for any brand nowadays.”
To be successful without being overly dependent on collaborations is something Aspden is exceedingly proud of. That, though, doesn’t mean SPEZIAL hasn’t collaborated, because it has with brands like C.P. Company and names such as Liam Gallagher and, most recently, Blondey McCoy.
For Aspden, the fact that SPEZIAL doesn’t rely on collaborations not only means he can stand on his own two feet, but also that when he does decide to partner with a brand or an individual, he can be more judicious when doing so.
“We’ve been very selective [with our collaborations] and I believe that makes it a more powerful statement when it does happen,” Aspden explains. “As a rule, the handful of times that we have collaborated on a product for SPEZIAL it’s been where there is already an existing synergy and relationship underpinning the project.”
Though SPEZIAL has become a staple on football terraces, this was never Aspden’s intention. In fact, he admits that while he takes its adoption into football culture as a “huge compliment”, he’s equally as happy seeing his gear worn on slightly more left-field individuals, too.
“When I go to watch football I see lots of people wearing SPEZIAL products which is a huge compliment,” he says.
“Equally, though, I love it when I see it being worn by the likes of Blondey McCoy and other members of the adidas skate team, or by Goldie and hardcore drum n bass heads. There is of course crossover between different audiences and whilst others may try and conveniently categorize it [SPEZIAL] I personally have never wanted it to be pigeonholed.”
Aspden’s understanding and appreciation of everything adidas is the key to SPEZIAL’s success. That being said, it's worth noting that Aspden is more than a footwear enthusiast or a diehard collector, his relationship with the three stripes goes a lot deeper.
Aspden is a designer, a purist, and, most importantly, an open and honest guy. Three traits that, for me, cement the foundations of what makes adidas SPEZIAL the brand it is today.
