WOOD WOOD's Earning its Three Stripes for its 20th Birthday
Two decades in the game, WOOD WOOD is celebrating its 20th birthday this year, reigning in the occasion with a three-piece collaboration alongside adidas.
Coming together for their second outing, the pair set their sights on a classic basketball silhouette, the adidas Forum Low. By all means, a classic, WOOD WOOD’s remix strips away the sneaker’s iconic strap, refitting it to take on a vintage aesthetic.
As the duo set up to celebrate the occasion on July 13, WOOD WOOD’s co-founder Brian SS Jensen walks us through the paces of the collaboration, pushing this three-pack of future classics firmly into the spotlight.
How did you connect with adidas and bring this collaboration to life?
Our first project with adidas was back in 2006, and we’ve worked on many things together since. So the two brands have had quite a long relationship, and it felt very natural to reach out and ask if they would be part of our anniversary celebrations this year.
Why was the Forum Low taken as the silhouette of choice?
We talked about various models, but we saw some possibilities in the Forum that we wanted to explore.
Forums have seen a spike in popularity following collabs with Prada and being spotted on the feet of ASAP Rocky, Rihanna, and more. Do you think this popularity will continue to rise?
Yes, the Forum certainly seems to have a moment right now. I think it’s just one of those models that go up and down in popularity over time but never go away, just like the Superstar, Gazelle, Stan Smith etc.
The shoe’s velcro strap is arguably its most iconic feature, do you think removing it was a risk?
Yes, but it felt really good.
How were the colorways chosen?
Well, our aim was to make them look like vintage tennis shoes – which of course, was a bit of a challenge as the Forum is obviously designed for basketball. But we re-did the uppers, removed the strap and slimmed it down a bit to make it work. The colours were an extension of this direction. Also, I liked the idea of three colourways being so close to each other, like a small family of shoes.
If another silhouette from adidas’ archive could be picked up for a collaboration, which would it be?
It’s very hard to answer that one. adidas has such a strong back catalogue with so many iconic silhouettes. Personally, I have a thing for adidas Fire from 87, but I don’t know– maybe a new model?
The WOOD WOOD x adidas Forum Low is scheduled to touch down at WOOD WOOD stores from July 13, with a global release to follow on July 21.
