Grace Wales Bonner Made Her Ultimate adidas Shoe. Now, She’s Toying With It
The adidas Karintha LB is the ultimate adidas x Wales Bonner sneaker. After years of beautifying existing adidas classics through feral fabrics and intricate decorative stitching, Wales Bonner was eventually entrusted to create an entirely new adidas model (a responsibility rarely given to collaborators).
The Karintha LB is that sneaker. However, it’s looking a little different in its newest form.
The shoe’s debut was entirely sequin-covered and shiny. Its follow-up was comparatively subdued, dressed in shaggy brown suede. Now it’s the turn of a glossy satin iteration.
Wales Bonner’s adidas collaborations have largely been defined by the brand’s zany fabric choices. With its own adidas sneaker, the playful material experiments continue.
The satin Karintha LB, available in either black or royal blue, is part of a larger adidas Originals by Wales Bonner Fall/Winter 2025 collection.
The sequined Karintha is also making a comeback, alongside a new colorway of the duo’s croc-embossed calf leather Superstar sneaker. Plus, there is a flat-soled Japan sneaker in pale blue with deep burgundy accents.
It all drops on October 31 via adidas’ website, together with a clothing selection comprising a tailored three-striped jacket and sportswear pulling straight from adidas’ ‘70s archives.
The release of this collaboration officially marks a half-decade of Wales Bonner x adidas link-ups, a journey that began with Fall/Winter 2020. And it's fair to say a lot has happened in that time. The duo almost single-handedly turned Samba sneakers into a worldwide trend and has become one of fashion's most consistently brilliant collaborators, all the while adidas was taking over fashion weeks and Grace Wales Bonner was picking up the title of creative director at Hermès menswear.
The duo has been on a tear, and it doesn't look like they're slowing down any time soon.
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