Between The Lines 002: Mr. Bailey and Adidas Originals
Ammonite Superstar:
An Underwater Story
Words: Concept Studio
Photography: Chris Ramsden
Mr. Bailey is an industrial designer best known for his footwear projects that blend the world’s of contemporary art and street fashion. His design approach is grounded by the influence of the natural world and utilises biomimicry as a cornerstone within his process.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Adidas Superstar - Mr. Bailey was asked to be an ambassador for the Catalyst for Change program. An initiative that aims to empower community driven cultural change in the sneaker community throughout China. A new iteration of the Trefoil logo was created to mark this moment and the challenge of incorporating this within the Superstar was set.
Given the extremely short timeline of the project - the team dove deep into the key characteristics of this iconic shoe. With the shell toe being the most crucial component to explore, their research took them into the extensive world of mollusk sea shells. Quickly we uncovered significant parallels between these family of forms and previous Mr. Bailey projects that were inspired by the marine world. Through these comparisons we began to dissect the shell toe to reimagine what it might look like in the future.
Perhaps the most significant breakthrough was the connection between Ammonite; the extinct subclass of marine mollusks, and the Octopus; an animal which Mr. Bailey has had a close connection to within his design journey. Ammonites are the close cousin of the Octopus, sharing the same family class of cephalopods. This direction felt obvious and resonated with the design principle of biomimicry¹ - a key value of the team’s ethos. Utilising the form of an extinct animal shell speaks to the story of evolution.
The team travelled to Italy to visit their associates at HOC lab tech. Where they began to develop the individual components of the Superstar and freely explore footwear manufacturing in the lab. Combining these found ideas in natural marine history with their expertise in the advancements of footwear 3D technology the project began to take on a life of its own. Seemingly serendipitous moments continued to show parallels between these two worlds (natural & mechanical) sparking new ideas for the micro details within the shoe.
The final product is a wearable sculpture - a timepiece showcasing the capabilities of modern technology and our admiration of nature as our greatest luxury². Evolution of the shell toe is showcased in the singular printed sole unit which begins at the existing shell toe joint and then grows segments to wrap around the entire footbed. The cross sections of these segments house coiled chambers that are inspired by the interior structure of an Ammonite shell. These circular chambers provide buoyancy stability mimicking the abilities of the animal’s ability to stay upright whilst moving through water. The upper is constructed from an engineered adaptive nylon that allows for a variety of finishes to be applied to the shoe.
This project was a future concept for Adidas Originals, created and conceived in 30 days. The result is a wearable sculpture that showcases the potential of contemporary footwear manufacturing.
