Adidas Collaborates With Thebe Magugu on Inclusive Sportswear Range
The capsule collection, which melds high-tech fabrics with recycled materials, features modesty swimwear, inclusive sizing and gender-neutral pieces.
Adidas has teamed up with South African designer Thebe Magugu on an inclusive sports range including high-performance tennis pieces that will be worn on court by leading players Stefanos Tsitsipas, Felix Auger Aliassime and Daria Kasatkina, as well as champion wheelchair tennis player Dana Mathewson, in key tournaments this summer.
The capsule collection — available on Monday for members of the German sportswear-maker’s rewards program AdiClub, and Aug. 15 worldwide — also features modesty swimwear, inclusive sizing in sizes XL to 4XL and gender-neutral pieces.
Each performance piece in the collection melds high-tech fabrics with recycled materials, as part of the company’s ongoing efforts to become more sustainable.
The line, which is divided into two drops, spans across sports including running, swimming, training, tennis, football and cycling, alongside a set of casual lifestyle garments, and celebrates “community, heritage and identity, inspired by the South African designer’s upbringing,” Adidas said in a statement on Monday.
Magugu has revisited signature Adidas footwear styles including the Stan Smith, Astir and Originals NMD sneakers.
The designer teamed up with his regular collaborator, artist Phathu Nembilwi, on artwork that features a woman dancing, influenced by his mother, aunt and grandmother, who have been key muses for his eponymous ready-to-wear line, including his spring 2022 collection, which drew from family photographs.
“I’m infinitely inspired by the energy of the women in my life and the heritage of my native land. Bringing together such personal stories through design and blending them with Adidas’ iconic performance and lifestyle pieces has been an amazing process,” Magugu said.
“The collection really celebrates all the positive influences around me, and a sense of community that is so important to me. I hope it inspires the same joyful feeling in those who wear it,” he added.
His three-piece swim hijab set is made in part with recycled materials and lightweight, chlorine-resistant fabric. The gender-neutral pieces were designed with Unitefit, a fit system that is created with a spectrum of sizes, genders and forms in mind.
The Fast jacket, in white with bold colorful graphics, comes in a lightweight water-repellent fabric that is made in part with Parley Ocean Plastic, a material created by environmental organization Parley for the Oceans using upcycled plastic waste intercepted from beaches and coastal communities before it reaches the oceans.
The second drop in October will feature a plant print in a yoga look, in addition to a button-down jogger and statement T-shirt.
Adidas had previously collaborated with Magugu and fellow South African designer Rich Mnisi on selected pieces for its Love Unites collection released for Pride Month last year.
