First introduced in 2014 by British designer Gary Aspden, 2024 marks the 10th anniversary of the adidas SPZL, one of the most coveted silhouettes in the Three Stripes family. As part of the ongoing celebrations, British retailer END. has collaborated with adidas for a “By The Sea” campaign and capsule collection, inspired by the earthy British culture that remains at the heart of Gary Aspden’s seminal shoe.
An 11-piece capsule collection titled “By The Sea” is available exclusively at END., and nods to the heritage of the retailer and the adidas SPZL as staples of British culture. For this collaboration, adidas and END. have reworked archive silhouettes from the SPZL collection, giving them a contemporary update that picks up on key aspects of British culture like the evolving music scene around the coast.
This launch sees the release of three unique SPZL styles that take influence from the adidas archives. The Moscrop 2 SPZL sneaker, available in a sandy hue, combines two archival adidas silhouettes, the lightweight upper taken from the adidas Raider and the two-layered sole taken from the Argentinian adidas Infinity shoe. The Wilsy SPZL is available in a chalk white and tribal green with nubuck uppers and mesh panels for an elevated take on nostalgic sportswear. The final shoe in the collection is an adidas SPZL rendition of the Samba Deco in rich navy-blue pigskin suede with a stitched T-Toe delivering a subtle modern update to the shoe.
For this collaboration, END. and adidas also present a weather-ready clothing selection as a part of the launch. Seven key pieces from the SPZL archives are revitalised in a warm and nostalgic colour palette. Amongst a range of jersey t-shirts, track tops and pants and polo shirts, the Calavdella jacket stands out. A cult classic from the SPZL archives given new life in vibrant green recycled polyester, the jacket, named after the famous Ibiza cove, emphasises the collection’s cultural centre, honouring the music culture of Ibiza that laid the groundwork for SPZL.
END. Invited famed director Nick Griffiths of &SON to the British seaside town of Tyneside to create a documentary style sequence titled ‘By The Sea.’ As the figure behind all of the SPZL creative, Griffiths was able to capture the essence of local culture and community in the North Eastern town that has resonated through the brand over the past decade.
“With any collaborations we do with adidas SPZL there needs to be a good reason for them to exist. They are often underpinned by strong existing relationships and this collaboration with END. most definitely has that. Given the level of support that END. have loyally shown to the SPZL range since the very beginning it felt right to finally acknowledge that with a product pack as part of the SPZL tenth anniversary celebrations. END. brought their ‘By the Sea’ story/concept to us and we gave them potential options to work with on a selection of archival SPZL silhouettes from over the past decade. Once they made their product choices we worked collaboratively with discussions at every stage of the design process.” Gary Aspden – Curator/adidas SPZL
END. x adidas SPZL ‘By The Sea’ is available at END. stores and online at endclothing.com/gb
