Wales Bonner and adidas Have the Collaboration of the Year

2022 has been a year already packed with insane releases, but this summer's hottest sneaker collaboration might not be what you think. It's surprisingly not made by Nike or New Balance, who have both been enjoying incredible success from a barrage of collaborations lately. No, we're talking about the collaboration between Wales Bonner and adidas.

British design label Wales Bonner and adidas' latest iteration of their collaborative effort released recently, and has since been seen on celebrities and tastemakers alike. This comes as no surprise, given the rise of blokecore as a 2022 trend and Wales Bonner's heavy football inspirations. The two began their partnership in 2020, and have since worked together two since in the following years. The collaboration sees Wales Bonner reimagining classic adidas silhouettes like the Samba, adding the British designer's signature retro flair inspired by her Jamaican heritage.

To recap, we've compiled all of the pair's collaborations thus far:

The two brands first joined forces in 2020, releasing arguably some of the best sneakers ever to come from the partnership. First shown during London Fashion Week as part of Wales Bonner's Autumn/Winter 2020 collection, the collaboration is inspired by Bob Marley, adidas' archive, and the 1970's. Classics like the adidas tracksuit are elevated with embroidery details and tailored cuts inspired by Wales Bonner's heritage.

After the success of Autumn/Winter 2020, the two reunited once again for Spring/Summer of 2021 with a capsule collection, titled Essence. Inspired this time by the 1980's and the flourishing dancehall scene, the capsule continues with flourishes like mesh details and exaggerated collars. In an interview with AnOther Mag, Wales Bonner described her goals with the collection, saying "I wanted to explore the intersection between tailoring and sportswear."

2021 enjoyed another follow up collaboration coinciding with the designer's A/W 2021 collection. It can be hard to maintain the quality of the designs over the course of three collaborations, but the pair have been in lockstep from the beginning. Wales Bonner continues with what works, not overdoing anything. The collection reimagines adidas Japan silhouette, a criminally underrated shoe desperately in need of some love. Bonner elevates the shoe with clever paneling additions that set each pair apart from each other, adding different personalities to each shoe.

So far, we haven't seen plans for another collaboration as the rollout begins for Wales Bonner's Spring/Summer 2022 collection, but we can only hope that this pair continues their iconic partnership. Find more of what's available from the latest capsule collection below.