“For inspiration, [Adidas] gave me a brief that they wanted basketball and Manila. I just thought, let’s go back to my memories as a child of playing basketball on the streets,” the artist says.
In line with its mission to empower Filipino creatives, Adidas Philippines launches a collaboration with visual artist Jappy Agoncillo.
Dubbed the City Shop “Manila Hoops” tee collection, Agoncillo conceptualized the “quintessential Manila experience” through the line of men’s and women’s t-shirts.
Previously, Adidas partnered with toy designer Juanito “Quiccs” Maiquez and painter Greg Guleserian, better known as Egg Fiasco, for apparel and footwear designs.
The artist, whose murals you can find on neighborhood basketball courts and Shake Shack BGC’s facade, had free reign to incorporate his vibrant, retro design style within the collection.
“For inspiration, [Adidas] gave me a brief that they wanted basketball and Manila. I just thought, let’s go back to my memories as a child of playing basketball on the streets,” the artist tells Lifestyle Asia.
Hyper local collab
“I described it as, ‘okay, school’s out, it’s 4 PM, let’s go play some basketball. Let’s go grab a snack. Most of [the t-shirt designs] feature some sort of street food because Filipinos love street food. And it just features how much we love basketball, and I think that in itself would show that it’s very Filipino.
“Street Food, having fun, retro style, basketball—it’s very quintessential Manila,” Agoncillo adds.
Filipino cultural references are reflected through taho, isaw, betamax, and kwek-kwek. At the same time, the Manila City Skyline, City Hall, and Roxas Blvd are incorporated to display key landmarks.
For Adidas, which collaborates with fellow mammoth brands like Gucci and Balenciaga, tapping a local artist gives Filipinos a way to relate.
“Since it’s hyper-local or led by a local artist, there’s a ‘sense of belonging’ for Filipinos that are really wanting to support local,” Adidas Philippines’ brand communications and sports marketing manager JD Cortez shares.
This is the second leg of Adidas’ partnership with the artist. In 2019, Agoncillo designed custom patch designs for their VRCT jacket. While staying true to local imagery, his designs revolved around the Philippine Monkey-eating eagle, the Philippines’ national bird.
Aiming to disrupt
Cortez reiterates that elements like these let the local market feel included by the multinational brand, “At the end of the day, we also want to disrupt. And that’s how we really empower local artists to give added value to [Adidas Philippines].”
While Agoncillo’s design inspirations stem from his mid-90s upbringing, he says the most “authentic” way to deliver the collaboration was to stick to his style, which is highly relevant today.
“I think right now, just as a trend, the nineties and eighties are coming back very strongly. But a lot of my work is rooted in that, so I thought that’s the most authentic way we can do it. Not trying to be another style, but just bring my work which has a lot of it has comic book elements, the dots, the textures, the rough lines, and just put that into the design,” the De La Salle University graduate shares.
During the process, Agoncillo researched Adidas’ various collaborations with not just visual artists but also athletes and musicians, “then just melded all the ideas together.”
The Adidas City Shop x Jappy Agoncillo “Manila Hoops” Collection will be exclusively available starting May 27, 2022 in adidas Brand Center Glorietta. For more information, you can follow adidas Philippines on Facebook and Instagram.
Images courtesy of Adidas Philippines.
