Fashion
Aug 11, 2022
by James Roberts
adidas x Thebe Magugu Showcases African Heritage in a Size That Fits All
by James Roberts
Aug 11, 2022

adidas has partnered with South African designer Thebe Magugu to create a collection of vibrant and thoughtful lifestyle and sports pieces. The collection has something for everyone, covering all of adidas’ sports categories, from tennis to swimming, plus some remixes of classic adidas sneakers and Originals apparel.

The collection is inspired by Magugu’s African heritage, drawing on the lives of the women in his family. It features celebratory and joyful artwork of a woman dancing, designed in collaboration with artist Phathu Nembilwi. Bright pink, orange, lilac and yellow set these illustrations alight against a neutral white background.

The apparel is mainly aimed at women but pieces are also listed as gender neutral thanks to UNITEFIT, a fit system that is created with a spectrum of sizes, genders, and forms in mind. Pieces such as the Swim Hijab are designed with inclusivity and kinship in mind — ideals that the sportsworld is conscious of paying more attention to.

In addition to shining a light on African heritage and designing for all, the collection has the planet in mind, using recycled materials across the performance pieces. For example, the lightweight Fast Jacket, built for racing and training, is water repellent and is made in part with Parley Ocean Plastic.

The tennis gear, like the purple NY UNITEFIT Tennis Dress, does more than look great. Dana Mathewson, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Felix Auger Aliassime and Daria Kasatkina will all be wearing the pieces at hardcourt tournaments — proof of the collection’s high performance ability.

It’s not all performance sportsgear. The collection also includes some Originals pieces, like a crop T-shirt, in white and semi pulse lilac, and the Originals 7/8 Leggings. In the footwear department, there are remixes of iconic adidas silhouettes including the Stan Smith, Nizza Platform, Astir and Forum footwear, which feature design accents from Thebe Magugu’s signature prints.

Magugu is excited about the release: “I’m infinitely inspired by the energy of the women in my life and the heritage of my native land. Bringing together such personal stories through design and blending them with adidas’ iconic performance and lifestyle pieces has been an amazing process. The collection really celebrates all the positive influences around me, and a sense of community that is so important to me. I hope it inspires the same joyful feeling in those who wear it.”

The collection is available now for early access adiClub members. For the rest of us, we’ll have to wait until August 15 to shop on adidas.com.