What happened when adidas, Fiorucci and Dazed threw a party

Two of the fashion names most central to club culture have united for a limited edition collaboration. The first release of adidas and Fiorucci’s collection brings Fiorucci’s cheeky graphics to adidas’s rave ready styles via an adidas Firebird two piece tracksuit  – you know, the one with the stripes down the sleeves – with a black vinyl twist, sitting alongside a t-shirt bearing the instantly recognisable Fiorucci angel, and a stripy red sweater. No adidas collab would be complete without a pair of trainers, so the Samba Rose comes in a cream and red colourway stamped with ‘Fiorucci’.

Fiorucci started in Milan in ‘67, but became the 80s shopping destination in New York, bringing the wink-wink pop art sensibility of Andy Warhol to the world via gold cowboy boots and Day-Glo vinyl. The Fiorucci window displays were legendary for their outrageous performances  – nightlife maestro and drag performer Joey Arias managed the floor and hired experimental alien singer Klaus Nomi to perform for passers by, while designer Marc Jacobs was a shop assistant.

Although the brand closed in the 80s, its cultural significance was not extinguished in the decades before it was relaunched in 2017. Having already had its name sung out by disco-goers everywhere since Sister Sledge’s “The Greatest Dancer” in 1977, the brand got a name check in Mark Leckey’s 1999 film Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore – all about the 90s rave scene and arguably one of the best-loved and most moment-defining video art pieces of recent history.

The 90s rave scene, of course, is where adidas takes over on the clubbing front. If partying 80s-style was synonymous with high octane dressing à la Grace Jones, by the Summer of Love in ‘88, nightlife looks were much more relaxed through sportswear and bright colours  – all the better for making it through the night. adidas’s own late 80s imagery makes leisure activities look positively glamorous via high beam studio lights, deep tans and blown out hair.

adidas, of course, needs no introduction, having been going since 1929, although it first appeared officially as adidas twenty years later. The adidas Originals line was founded in 2001 as a channel for the heritage styles worn off the court (as opposed to athlete performance wear). Given adidas’s historical presence on the feet of countercultural figures like Run DMC and the hip hop teens in Jamel Shabazz’s photos, and its strong representation on the dancefloors and fields in and around the M25, there’s clear clubbing crossover between the two brands.

So how better to celebrate their partnership than a Dazed Valentine’s party to make Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager proud? Harking back to Fiorucci’s designation as the ‘daytime Studio 54’ by the New York Times, and adidas’s own reputation as the sneaker choice of acid house ravers, Dazed threw one hell of an event – with cocktails provided by Cîroc – at exclusive Soho den The Box with the collection on display.

DJs BBZ, Jayda G, Moxie, Peach, Larry B and Micha Mafia played underneath a 1.5m disco ball and hot pink neon in the main room, while the basement bar served tequila cocktails, the fish tank backdrop having been taken over with a cherub vinyl so guests could recreate their very own Leo and Claire Danes moment. Should your personal knight in shining armour or angel not be found, you wouldn’t have gone home empty-handed, with all the one night only event merch including compact mirrors, matchbooks, stickers and lollipops on offer. For partiers intent on going down the rabbit hole, the secret disco lair behind a cupboard door brought daybeds and a light-up dance floor together for maximum decadence. In other words, it was way more fun than your average V-day dinner.

adidas Originals x Fiorucci is available now, watch a film shot by Will Reid below.