END. continues the celebration of its twentieth anniversary with its latest collaboration with Adidas.
The ‘Chip Shop’ BW Army will pay tribute to END.’s hometown of Newcastle. The coastline city is long renowned for its waters. This collaboration celebrates that proximity and the times associated with life by the water.
Furthermore, the END. BW Army celebrates one of England’s food staples- Fish and Chips. The rise in popularity of trawl fishing meant that fish was plentiful. As a result, pairing fried fish with chips (that’s fries for us Yanks) became a staple of these coastal English cities. Soon enough, it became a British staple- and now a staple around the world.
The BW Army, itself, has been the definition of a staple itself- whether it be the BW Army or the many sneakers it inspired. Released in the 1970s, the BW Army was originally designed as a training shoe for the German army. Produced in mass quantities, the sneaker would soon find itself in surplus stores. Thus, allowing fashion designer Martin Margiela to discover and fall in love with the sneaker in the 1990s. Soon, his imprint would develop the Replica- which has in tern become a staple of streetwear and high fashion.
Beyond that, though, the BW Army inspired several sneakers within the Adidas umbrella. Important silhouettes like the Gazelle, and the Samba were birthed off of the DNA of the BW Army. As the popularity of these trainers exploded recently, the return of the BW Army made perfect sense.
Similarly, these parallels allowed the BW Army to be the perfect canvas for this collaborative effort between END. and Adidas.
The END. x adidas BW Army ‘Chip Shop’ is an ode to the chippy, an emblem of British summer time, the pride and joy of many British beaches. END. and Adidas present a culinary-meets-streetwear twist on the iconic sneaker. The ‘Chip Shop’ BW Army comes in the silhouettes classic white and grey combination with scale-textured side panels reminiscent of the catch-of-the-day.
Fluffy laces add further texture to the sneaker, while a contrasting dark grey suede panel sits to the heel- further resembling a fish before meeting its fate inside a fryer. The shoe’s insoles is composed of collaged articles from previous END. and adidas collaborations meant to mirror the traditional fish and chips wrapping. A co-branded vinegar packet details both the insole and the underside of the tongue, while bespoke box branding adds further fanfare to the union. END. x adidas BW Army ‘Chip Shop’ blends humor, heritage, and high-fashion craft, perfectly embodying END.’s signature approach to storytelling through product.
The END. x adidas BW Army ‘Chip Shop’ is available now via END. Launches. The sneaker will also be releasing online and at all END. statement stores on Friday, April 18th for $140.
