Fashion / FeatureFashion / FeatureRemember that time David Lynch made a surreal advert for adidas?Fire run with meShareLink copied ✔️November 9, 2018November 9, 2018TextEmma Elizabeth Davidson It’s a well-known fact that David Lynch has a penchant for lending his surrealist eye to the medium of television ads. From Clear Blue pregnancy tests and Alka-Seltzer, to Barilla dried pasta and Georgia fairtrade coffee (in which Kyle Maclachlan reprises his role as Agent Cooper – come on, what else were you expecting?), the legendary director stepped behind the camera on multiple occasions throughout the 80s, 90s, and 00s. One of the best, though, is the 1993 TV ad adidas enlisted him to create. Entitled The Wall, the short was the first British advert created by adidas in nine years, and reportedly bagged the director a v cool $1million – no big deal. The concept is simple: a man runs towards a literal wall, which (no prizes for guessing here) represents the physical ‘wall’ many runners experience as they train. Things take a Lynchian twist (surprise!) when the camera zooms towards the runner’s ear and hones in on the blood flowing through his veins, as electricity sparks around his brain, his heart palpitates wildly, and flames appear in his eyes (fire run with me?), as all the while the wall gets further and further away. So far, so anxiety-inducing. Add to all that a random scorpion and it’s safe to say that yeah, things get pretty wild. The advert ends as the runner’s head seemingly explodes, which presumably means he has smashed through the pain barrier – all thanks to adidas’s innovative Tubular sneakers, which were inspired by the inner tube found inside tyres, obvs – to become a prime athletic specimen. Or who knows? Given this was directed by Lynch, maybe his head did just actually explode for real. Escape the algorithm! Get The DropEmail address SIGN UP Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday. Privacy policy Thank you. You have been subscribed Privacy policy Expand your creative community and connect with 15,000 creatives from around the world.READ MOREMoncler is coming for summer with its line of little puffs Nike Nike’s ‘wild card’ Team Kits are already in actionThis Dutch designer’s ‘gay fantasy’ is full of farmers, pirates and sailors Nike Airmaxxing with singer-songwriter Simone RuthRosalía is my religion: Sacred street style from Lux Tour BarcelonaOakley Oakley’s new collection was designed to weather the storm Nike Airmaxxing with multidisciplinary creative Jake EliasThe best fashion exhibitions to see for spring 2026All the best dressed stars at Coachella 2026 Nike Airmaxxing with New York designer Annie Lian PumaPUMA and Jil Sander keep it simple with the K-Street Labubu obituary: Rot in hell you ugly little freaksEscape the algorithm! Get The DropEmail address SIGN UP Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday. Privacy policy Thank you. You have been subscribed Privacy policy