In new images dropped today by adidas, London-based artist and skater Blondey McCoy turns poster boy as one of the new faces of the Campus shoe. Photographed by Kenneth Cappello in NYC, the campaign takes inspiration for the city’s downtown scene in the 90s. Along with McCoy, it features skateboarder Na-Kel Smith, snowboarder and model Tavia Bonetti and filmmaker Tiffany Lighty, each wearing the shoe in their own way. 

While the adidas Campus silhouette is not officially made for skaters, it is often borrowed by them – and a horde of others, of course. Beyond skating though, adidas is a brand that has been close to McCoy for years, long before he modelled for those Palace collabs. “I suppose I immediately think of musical influences that have been there my whole life, Britpop and 90s culture in general,” he recalls of his earliest trefoil-related memories – going on to namedrop skater and artist Mark Gonzales and boxer Muhammad Ali as famous faces he remembers wearing the equally famous three-stripes.

And although the Londoner’s relationship with the city of New York is not exactly straightforward – in his words: “full of fun in skateboarding and crippling anxiety in almost everything else” he admits “it is in lots of ways not too dissimilar to London.” We have to admit, he looks quite at home hanging out downtown with the gang in jewellery stores and watching backflips on the street.

As for why McCoy thinks the Campus is perfect for skating in? “I’m not a footwear designer, I don’t know!” he says, which is fair enough TBH. But wait, there’s more: “They are a cultural staple and they work practically: a winning combination.”

Sounds good to us.