adidas reveals new Dubai-inspired collaboration with local tailors

Say hello to the Loomhood Collection by adidas Dubai…

If you’ve grown up kicking up dust in the winding lanes and hidden corners of Dubai, you’ll get this one. Adding to the list of epic regional collaborations to come out of this part of the world, adidas has revealed a brand new collection, inspired by what has become a vital part of expat life in Dubai – the tailor.

The desis will know, the tailor is essentially a part of your family. Finding a good tailor is up there with finding a good family doctor, a dentist, a barber when you move to a new city. Here in Dubai, the honeycomb-esque concentration of the South Asian community has given birth to a mind-boggling variety of threads.

Enter: the Loomhood Collection, a celebration of an art not of this land, a culture now deeply woven within this society and a romance of originality found in few. Created by adidas in collaboration with local neighbourhood outlet Dream Girl Tailors, these new iterations of the Samba and the Spezials bring together two icons of different makes.

Long-time residents of the areas of Al Fahidi and Meena Bazaar will know Dream Girl Tailors – they’ve become beloved local craftsmen who bring to life the unique visions of their clientele, a spirit that echoes like that of being an adidas Original. The Loomhood Collection has in every stitch, the truth of what it means to be a part of Al Fahidi, to live there, grow up there, come of age there, scout it’s small streets and big dreams.

Straight from the hands of artisans onto the feet of street icons, this collection is a cut of Dubai’s culture and heritage, fused with modern design and fresh appeal. The body remains the same, the laces get a colourful, artisan-made makeover. Fabric laces made out of stunning technicolour prints dress up the otherwise classical design, and you’ve got a pair of kicks that are truly you.

People forge familial bonds with their tailors – my tailor has been stitching for my family for the past 10 years and has seen me transform from a bespectacled, scrawny pre-teen to a married woman, arriving one day with wedding outfits to be made. A tender moment – but that is the beauty of it.

The Loomhood Collection is an ode to all that, a salute to the warmth these craftsmen inject into pieces for strangers, and a subtle nod to the magic of Dubai.

Early access 11am April 19th at Dream Girls Tailors shop and at adidas store Dubai Mall from April 21st…

@adidasdubai

Images: Socials