DUBAI: Last month, US actress Yara Shahidi debuted a sportswear collaboration with Adidas, which included tracksuits and footwear. This month she’s back with round two.
Much like her well-received previous collaboration with the sportswear giant, Shahidi’s latest collection, which dropped this week, is inspired by her roots – her father Afshin Shahidi is Iranian and her mother Keri Shahidi is African-American.
Featuring five pieces, the 21-year-old and Adidas drew inspiration directly from Shahidi’s family for drop two. Supplied
The first collection featured elements like Farsi text and patterns inspired by Iranian architecture, a concept that Shahidi decided to expand on with the latest offering.
Featuring five pieces, the 21-year-old and Adidas drew inspiration directly from Shahidi’s family for drop two.
For example, her Iranian grandfather’s rug shop is referenced via prints on tracksuits. Meanwhile, her name written in Farsi is incorporated into the designs.
US actress Yara Shahidi has released another collection with sportswear giant Adidas. Supplied
The “Grown-ish” star made it a point to represent where she is from by adding details that pay homage to her Middle Eastern roots.
For the latest lineup, the 21-year-old multihyphenate also reimagined two timeless Adidas Originals silhouettes including the Campus and Boston Super x Marathon shoes that reference Shahidi’s cultural heritage via Islamic geometric patterns and green and yellow color schemes.
Rounding off both pairs is the word “yar,” a derivation of the actress’ name that means “friend,” embroidered on the right tongue.
The word “yar,” a derivation of the actress’ name that means “friend,” is embroidered on the tongue. Supplied
“I can’t speak to the culture in its entirety, but I can speak to how its beauty has impacted my life. For the collection, I was going back to images of Iran in the 1960s and those color palettes, the uniforms of its soccer team, and pictures of my grandfather on my father’s side,” Shahidi told Vogue Magazine.
Shahidi has a longstanding relationship with the Berlin-based sportswear giant.
In addition to collaborating with Adidas in May, the actress starred in a campaign for the brand’s signature Superstar sneakers in 2020.
The Minneapolis-born actress also featured in the latest Adidas Originals x Disney Stan Smith campaign.
