Communities Forge New Friendships in adidas Originals' Joyful Spring Summer Campaign

Adidas Originals went live with their Spring Summer campaign this week featuring the iconic Gazelle, Forum, and Superstar sneakers. The shoes were captured during a whirlwind shoot in South Africa as part of the brand’s mission to celebrate the people and communities that are shaping culture.

The unfiltered setting brought together skateboarder and musician Lil Dre from Los Angeles with award winning rapper Dee Koala from Cape Town. The shoot served as a creative energy exchange between the rappers and their respective crews. Though the two groups come from different hemispheres, their like mindedness makes for an authentic exploration of the city and the forging of new friendships.

The energetic edits feature unconventional camera angles as well as DIY shots of the young creatives capturing some imagery themselves. The videos have a mix of digital footage, VHS film, and still photography. The camera acted as another member of the community, interacted with rather than for, as the protagonists grab a bite to eat or dance in front of the bathroom mirror.

The initial campaign called for a 30 second film with a series of shorter social media accompaniments. When post production house Splash Studios received the footage it was clear there was a longer story to be told. Senior editor Rigel Kilston was inspired to cut an unprompted 60 second long form version featuring more of the footage for agency TBWA\Neboko. Adidas Originals released the unplanned minute long video to accompany the rest of the campaign.

“When I saw the amount of rad footage captured all over Cape Town I had to hit them with a 60 second cut even though they only needed a 30 second delivery. The talent and their energy deserved a longer film and I’m super stoked adidas was happy with my edit and pushed it through!” said Splash Studios founder Rigel Kilston.