Apple’s AirDrop is a complicated technology. Sometimes people use the seamless file-sharing technology to spring images of puppies on unsuspecting iPhone users. Other times, it’s a great way to promote your own home-cooked memes. But if you were at Coachella this weekend, there’s a decent chance AirDrop delivered something different, and far better: images of Donald Glover’s brand new shoes made in collaboration with Adidas. Those lucky attendees could then pick up their pair at the festival. Now, Glover’s shoes are releasing to the rest of the world.
The Guava Island star and Three Stripes made their partnership official all the way back in September, with a video announcement in which cartoon Glover, similar to the one seen in the opening credits of his recent movie with Rihanna, stomps around his rapper-filled neighborhood until he gets home and opens up a new adidas box. Eight months later—April 26th, specifically—we finally have the chance to buy cartoon Glover’s drip.
Glover and Adidas aren’t just kicking off their collaboration with a single shoe. Right off the crack of the bat, three shoes are coming out: versions of the existing adidas models Nizza ($80), Continental 80s ($100), and Lacombe ($90). All three low-top sneakers share a fraying, deconstructed look, like the shoes went through hell and were then patched up with fabric that’s almost right. The shoes are meant to have a worn look straight out of the box. “With a focus on the personal narrative that worn-in sneakers can hold, and the wealth of experiences they bear, the collection is inspired by subtle imperfections,” the press release reads. Released alongside the shoes are a series of short films with Mo’nique where Glover, fittingly, spills all sorts of things on his shoes. Just more evidence of life lived!
Befitting a zagging talent like Glover, the shoes hardly fit into any of 2019’s dominant sneaker trends. They’re not anonymous dad shoes, they’re not puffed-up with air, or made by an Instagram influencer. Glover x Adidas’s closest cousin might be pre-distressed Golden Goose sneakers—shoes that look like they’ve had their own interesting life experiences. “Rich is a concept,” Donald Glover says in the release. “With this project, I wanted to encourage people to think about how their stories can be told on their feet. Value isn’t quantified by what you wear, rather the experiences from them. And you make the decision on what works for you, you live through your own lens. The partnership for me is about being able to exemplify what doing your own thing truly looks and feels like."
Glover is just one of the celebrity talents on board at adidas. Just a couple weeks ago, adidas announced it was teaming with Beyoncé and her brand Ivy Park. There are persistent whispers that Jonah Hill is also cooking up something special. And adidas already has a rather significant roster of existing talent: Pharrell, Kanye, and Pusha T, among others.
In the great sneaker wars, adidas is moving in the opposite direction of its largest competitor. While Nike has drilled down on working with top-line designers like Virgil Abloh, Dior’s Kim Jones, and Burberry’s Riccardo Tisci, adidas is gathering enough wattage to power the eastern seaboard. Glover is another powerful weapon in the German brand’s armory.
For Glover’s part, the release of his sneakers pushes him into the final frontier of celebrity in 2019. For a long time, signature shoes were the domain of athletes. Adidas is suggesting something else entirely about who we want to emulate and consequently dress like. One of the brand’s major releases this year, the Nite Jogger, was made explicitly for “night time creators.” Glover’s accomplishments are in the worlds of entertainment and music—the things he creates. Most of us won’t be able to put together Glover’s resume—but now at least we can dress like we do.
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