adidas Originals + Avavav 'The Worse Game You've Ever Seen'

First introduced during the brand’s viral Spring Summer 2025 presentation at Milan Fashion week which was cheekily billed as an attempt to break the world record in short distance running, adidas Originals and Avavav link up for the launch of their inaugural collaborative collection.

Founded in 2021 and led by Creative Director Beate Skonare Karlsson, Avavav is an independent fashion house that has garnered a reputation for its subversive, boundary pushing approach. Known for its sharp wit, attitude, and commitment to creative provocation, the label channels the spirit of the internet age and brings it to life through pieces that are undeniably Avavav.

Staying true to Karlsson’s design philosophy, the inaugural adidas Originals by Avavav collection is an ironic collision of fashion and sport, manifesting in a bold reinterpretation of, rather than a tribute to, adidas’ sporting legacy. Here, classic archival pieces are “Avavavified” into striking, exaggerated forms.

“It has been a long-time dream of mine to partner with adidas Originals. I’m honoured and beyond happy to have the opportunity to play around with their incredibly strong DNA—it’s so much fun! From the beginning of our partnership, I was encouraged to ‘make fun’ of adidas. There’s so much irony in how seriously we take both sports and fashion and exploring that while maintaining a serious attitude has been incredibly fun.”
- Karlsson

This innate sense of provocation and humour is brought to life in the campaign for the Fall Winter 2024 collection which takes the form of ‘The Worst Game You’ve Ever Seen’. Featuring a cast of not-so-athletically inclined models, the film and stills depict a game of football that is anything but competitive, with a series of mishaps and sporting failures playing out on a concrete pitch in front of a less-than-engaged audience.

For the inaugural collection, the footwear is centred around the iconic Superstar sneaker which is reimagined with an attachment featuring Avavav’s signature four finger motifs.

Moving to apparel, a series of instantly recognisable adidas looks are playfully subverted – including a cropped track top, matching track pants, an extended track robe, a second skin layering top, and an exaggerated puffer jacket with hunched shoulders. Rounding out the collection is a series of surreal accessories, including caps and hats with finger-shaped cutouts, along with three-fingered football gloves that add a touch of whimsy, and recoded leather adidas airliner bags.