Karl Goes For The Gold With Adidas!

[metal-on-metal]

Lagerfeld and Brad Kroenig are going to take over the world!

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First Peak at Lagerfeld's Ads for Adidas
Fri Dec 3, 4:44 PM ET Fashion - Fashion Wire Daily

By Godfrey Deeny

Fashion Wire Daily December 3, 2004 - PARIS - The designer that never sleeps has begun using his talents with the athletic brand that best fuses fashion and street chic.

Adidas has made available to FWD a first look at the ad campaign shot by Karl Lagerfeld for the brand's adidas Originals collection.

The campaign shot in mid-November in Karl's studio on rue de Lille in Paris marks a major new step for adidas, a key move in its drive to expand the previously tightly distributed collection to a wider public.

Up until now, adidas Originals has been distributed in selective doors only — mainly Originals stores or fashion forward boutiques located in hip downtown neighborhoods in major cities. The label now plans to open a further 15 more Originals stores, a significant expansion from the current chain of 24 flagships.

The campaign is a rare move for Lagerfeld who practically never shoots ads for labels other than those for which he is the designer. Admittedly, as Karl is the creative director of Chanel, Fendi and Lagerfeld gallery, and the man who created the recent global smash hit with H&M.

The Originals spring summer 2005 season ads, all of which are in black and white, will break globally next year in the February issues of key lifestyle and fashion publications, ranging from mainstream titles like GQ and Elle, to edgier fare like Lodown and Punto H.

"Karl Lagerfeld has been the ultimate fashion designer for three or four decades, the high priest of luxury and style. That's perfect for adidas Originals, the ultimate aspirational street fashion label," said Michael Michalsky, Global Creative Director of Adidas, who also hired Karl's great buddy Stephen Gan, founder and creative director of Visionaire, as art director.

For Gan, "the idea of bringing a fashion edge to one of the most recognized global brands in the world was probably the biggest challenge... Lagerfeld accepted enthusiastically the idea as he recognized immediately the potential of adidas' Originals as the top end street fashion brand."

The ads are meant to "Celebrate Originality," the label's term for the campaign's concept. "We wanted positive images, not a guy lying on a table surrounded by broken glass. That is so over" added Michalsky. The feature a series of sexily healthy models — Caroline Winberg, Iselin Steiro, Jaunel Mackenzie, all from Women agency, plus Brad Kroenig (Ford), Din Yates (Select) and Gabriel Mattar (40 Graus) — interlinked in various poses.

"We wanted to work with Karl to have that contradiction of the unique experience of a man of 65 creating the images of a brand whose target are 16 to 25 year olds," said Michalsky.

Originals, which features the leaf life Trefoil logo, is mainly composed of classic retro pieces, or redesigns of signature looks from the adidas canon.

Lagerfeld, who currently in Japan, for the launch of the new mega 10-story Chanel boutique in Tokyo, has been sporting a vintage dark blue nylon adidas jacket made for the Munich Olympics, a present from the label.

 

[Luna]

Ugh.. Make him go away.. first H&M .. now adidas... sellout.

 

[Arturo21]

Originally posted by luna@Dec 6 2004, 05:03 PM
Ugh.. Make him go away.. first H&M .. now adidas... sellout.

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He designed for H&M, he is only taking pictures for Adidas, and nothing more.
I think he is a fabulous designer and a talented photographer.

 

[Luna]

He still scares me.

 

[metal-on-metal]

Originally posted by Arturo21@Dec 6 2004, 06:05 PM
a talented photographer.

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Most of the time, yes. But Karl has his missteps and is still developing as a photographer. I recall a recent Numero editorial with Lily Cole that was horrendous. And the Carmen Kass editorial in this month's Bazaar is equally ghastly.

 

[softgrey]

hi arturo...welcome to the fashion spot...
it's good to know you have your own opinons...though you may be in the minority here...

nice having you aboard...!!

 

[liberty33r1b]

i think it's just another great display of his various talents which we all love him for. he is brilliant!!

 

[kimair]

Originally posted by metal-on-metal@Dec 6 2004, 05:07 PM
Most of the time, yes. But Karl has his missteps and is still developing as a photographer. I recall a recent Numero editorial with Lily Cole that was horrendous. And the Carmen Kass editorial in this month's Bazaar is equally ghastly.

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I have to agree with this...he's an ok photographer and Adidas is big enough of a brand that they could have gotten someone more established to shoot this campaign. I think they were just going for the impact of having Lagerfeld's name attached to this.

 

[Arturo21]

I think it's stupid that he's doing this for Adidas. I really dislike Adidas in every way, and each time I gain a little bit of respect for them, they do some stupid stunt like have David Beckham model or Missy Elliot design *pukes*.

 

[softgrey]

Originally posted by liberty33r1b@Dec 6 2004, 05:36 PM
i think it's just another great display of his various talents which we all love him for. he is brilliant!!

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... minor correction...you may love him...but we don't ALL love him...


i certainly don't...but i LOVE adidas...

 

[TheSoCalledPrep]

someone at WWD needs to learn how to spell... or maybe type...

"FIRST PEAK AT LAG.."

 

[Atelier]

Originally posted by TheSoCalledPrep@Dec 6 2004, 11:31 PM
someone at WWD needs to learn how to spell... or maybe type...

"FIRST PEAK AT LAG.."

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FWD.

 

[Spacemiu]

I'd rather see some one ells, karl doing adidas is a joke IMO.

 

[orlem]

Hm, isn't Stella McCartney designing for Nike? Or something along those lines? Why the designer interest in workout clothes?

 

[softgrey]

one answer...$$$

 

[Atelier]

Originally posted by seraphelle@Dec 7 2004, 03:07 PM
Hm, isn't Stella McCartney designing for Nike? Or something along those lines?

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It's with adidas as well, scheduled to hit stores February (I think) 2005.

 

[mikeijames]

Originally posted by metal-on-metal@Dec 6 2004, 05:03 PM
Lagerfeld and Brad Kroenig are going to take over the world!

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i'm half happy at that statement...

 

[pinkcouture]

I Karl but I'm not really loving the idea of Karl + Adidas..

 

[Lena]

Originally posted by softgrey@Dec 7 2004, 09:28 PM
one answer...$$$

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one -other- answer ...super inflated ego

a litlle Napoleon there
Karl is a real Kaiser, he wants to rule the fashion world
this kind of personalities get seriously on my nerves,
he's completly burning out his reputation..
in my book, hee should just retire to his mansions
and leave some posts for others.. he needs to relax
at his age..

 

[softgrey]

well...i was thinking more of stella working with adidas...

but yes...i agree about karl's ego...i don't really think much of his photography...