adidas Originals teamed up with an Austin, Texas sneaker hive powered by Black creatives for a fresh take on their classic Gazelle, inspired by the southern city. Naja Dorsey, creative director of Kicking It, joined forces with the sneaker brand for a first-of-its-kind collaboration and launched the Live Music Gazelle in homage to Austin’s reputation as the “Live Music Capital of the World” and the city’s rich history and culture.
The shoe’s silhouette and design reference Austin’s rich blues culture, with a suede upper dipped in five shades of blue. A red tongue and yellow Three Stripes add more color to the statement sneaker. Together, they mirror the legendary entrance of Antone’s Nightclub, where Stevie Ray Vaughan, Ray Charles, and other musical icons once performed. Finishing touches include a 512 lace charm, and Austin proudly displayed it on the back.
“I just wanted something to be funky, because Austin has that slogan, ‘Keep Austin weird.’ So, we kind of pride ourselves on that, too,” explained Dorsey to VIBE. “Being weird, being yourself, being different, standing out. Not necessarily following the trends, but setting it. I wanted to touch on that with the colors, want to touch on the story as far as the music scene, and how it is a segregated city, and how that music brought people together.”
He continued to detail, “My favorite design element would be the guitar strings on the side, being able to hold the shoe and actually feel like I’m playing a guitar with my size and ukulele. I was adamant about it, because at first, adidas maybe wanted to print it on, but I was like, ‘No, I want it embroidered so I could be able to feel it.’ The guitar pick that was stitched in was going to be printed on. I said, ‘No, let’s do some leather. Let’s stitch that on so we can have that quality.’
Another element of the collab extends Kicking It’s dedication to giving back to the community. Throughout the year, the team is responsible for food drives, giveaways, toy drives, and other community initiatives. A portion of proceeds from the Live Music Gazelle is set to fund scholarships for students at the local HBCU, Huston–Tillotson University, benefitting its jazz band and future music programming.
The Live Music Gazelle was revealed to the public with two celebratory events: an in-store gathering with hat customizations, grill and tooth gem molding, where customers were able to shop the sneakers. Following the family-friendly event, the party moved to Antone’s at night for a free community concert headlined by rising hip-hop artist J. Soulja and blues band The Keezy Experience.
The adidas x Kicking It “Live Music” Gazelle will retail for $120 and be available in limited quantities exclusively at Kicking It’s Austin store and online at kickingit.com.
“I appreciate the community that we built out here. We have been stamped like a staple here in Austin, Texas. And we have earned the trust of the community here to be like, ‘Hey, this is cool, this is hot, and they listen to us,’ reflected Dorsey. “And then when we do stuff, they do show out for us and support us. So I would say I feel loved, I feel special, and I just appreciate Austin for showing out for us.”
Take a look at the Live Music Gazelle and both events below.