What Does Nigo Signing To adidas Originals Mean?
has announced another signing to its already star-spangled roster, with streetwear emperor Nigo getting on board for a product range to drop later this year. The founder of A Bathing Ape sold most of his pioneering brand in 2011 and gave up his Creative Director position altogether last year, presumably so he could chill hard in the Bahamas or atop Mount Fuji, but now it seems he's throwing himself back in the design ring. There is no more info available other than stating that the work will encompass footwear and clothing, so we can only speculate what he'll be working with, just like with the or deals. Although Nigo is pretty much a standalone celebrity now and could just nod his head on Skype to a few prototypes the adidas design team show up to him, it's a pretty safe bet that he'll want to be more hands on. So instead of the special personal releases we've seen Big Sean, A$AP Rocky and 2 Chainz get, we reckon we'll see Nigo score his own sub-brand to go a little crazy on, like Yohji Yamamoto's Y-3 imprint and Mark McNairy and Kazuki Kuraishi's 84-Lab project.
Maybe he'll just play with existing silhouettes or bring back some oldies, or will he be invited to take a stab at forging something new? He's shown a fondness for reinvigorating (copying) classic kicks in the past for his own brand, like the Nike Air Force 1 and adidas Superstar-inspired Bapestas and Skullstas, so we're gonna say he'll be opting for the former option – he'll definitely be given free reign to go wild, though.
What kind of designs can we expect? Well, Bape has of course created some iconic camouflage products, but does Nigo want to leave that legacy behind now and pursue something fresh? Or should he stick with what he knows? C'mon Nigo, try something new! Either way, these are intriguing times ahead, and adidas Originals' talent roster right now reads like a hall of fame in pop culture – it's actually ridiculous, they're killing it. But will it pay off? Let's give it some time, because we certainly hope they do. Click through the gallery above to peep some of Bape's colabs with adidas in the past.