Over the past several years Yara Shahidi — the American actress, Harvard student, executive producer, and change agent — has established herself as one of the leading voices of a new generation of multidisciplinary creative trailblazers. Splitting her time between her studies, advocating for social causes that affect our global community and starring as the lead actress and an executive producer of the hit show Grown-ish, Yara is a driving force in culture today. Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, though only 21 years old, she has continually used her voice as a force for good and actively empowered dialogues around inclusion.
This season, adidas Originals and Yara have come together to present a two-part collaborative footwear and apparel collection that champions the spirit of ReCreation through unique takes on the creative polymath’s Iranian and African American heritage. Driven by a shared recognition of the way in which young people throughout the world are reimagining their identities, cultures and heritages in new ways — while making and taking up space in the process — the collection’s ethos of ReCreation seeks to make a powerful and impactful cultural statement.
“I’m incredibly excited to have the opportunity to partner with adidas originals as a creator, as I have always viewed clothing and footwear as incredible tools with which we navigate the world in our own particular way, so to be able to design my own collections with the brand has been truly special.
This particular collection is not only an exploration of who I am — bringing together different aspects of my own heritage — but also an ode to a new generation of change makers who are continually reimagining their own identities, carving out space, and refusing to be silenced in the process.”
– Yara Shahidi
The first part of the collaboration sees Yara bring elevated storytelling to the Superstar silhouette, infusing the iconic sneaker with a number of unexpected details. Carefully crafted with quality in mind, the Yara Shahidi Superstar features a beige worn leather upper, with brown and yellow suede stripes and heel panels, metal lace jewels and a scalloped tongue. A beautiful message on the insole of the shoe, the understated yet expressive look is then capped off with “yar”, a derivation of Yara’s name meaning ‘friend’, embossed in gold foil on the upper.
The collection also features two, distinctive, 1960s inspired takes on the classic adidas tracksuit. First up, the striking Satin Track Top and Satin Track Pant are updated with relaxed cuts on the arms and legs, as well as a cropped fit in the body, and are elevated with Iranian inspired patterns. The Satin track suit also explores the importance of multiuse items, by having hidden draw strings that allow you to convert the track suit to another style. Meanwhile, the Varsity Track Top and Varsity Track Pant are given mustard color updates, symbolic of the mustard seed and finished off with the printed addition of the collaboration’s Sun logo.
