Award-winning Grace Wales Bonner has established her namesake brand Wales Bonner as an important presence in the world of fashion, delivering collections that engage in diverse interpretations of identity. Part of her celebrated releases is her work with adidas, with each project exuding a refreshing innovative quality without being over the top. And with 2023 approaching, Wales Bonner is gracing us with more of these novel classics.

Featured in the brand’s SS23 runway back in June, the unveiled Wales Bonner x adidas football sneakers channeled the spirit of the collection: going back, taking from the past, and moving it forward by making it useful for the future. This futuristic quality is made instantly obvious, with silver and black patent leather dressing the upper of the shoe. The past finds representation in the fold-over tongue — a nod to older Three Stripes football boots. Per Wales Bonner’s philosophy with adidas, the silhouette is hand-stitched, layering a tailored vigour that calls back to when footwear was handcrafted.

The signature three-stripes on the lateral side have also been swapped out for frilled lace, adding a touch of dignified grace that Wales Bonner is associated with. The toebox, too, features a three-lined curve that adds a touch of innovative sophistication. Wales Bonner’s branding lands on right above these stripes while co-branding sits on the tongue and insole.

Overall, these Wales Bonner x adidas football sneakers look like a futuristic Samba on the (patent) surface, but are constructed by older techniques that were arguably more focussed on quality than mass production. While this Wales Bonner x adidas has yet to be given a firm release date, we suspect that news will land soon given that that Spring/Summer 2023 is just weeks away. Rest assured that we’ll update this article as soon as more information is made available.

In other anticipated collaborations, JJJJound just unveiled another collaborative effort on the PUMA Suede.

Images via @le.syndrome.