TAKING over the Old Granada Studios for one weekend only, the Size? Adidas archive celebrated the recognition and appreciation of the passion around the classic Adidas originals footwear. Close to 250 different and coveted shoes from the much revered back catalogue of Adidas curated the revived collection that hit Manchester.
The exhibition featured models mainly of the 
Adidas originals shoe that were uniquely sold at Size? following roughly a decade of collaborations between the pair. Back in 2009 Size? approached Adidas with a seeding idea to collaborate and together reinvigorate the roots of the Adidas original shoes which was later coined ‘adi’s archive’.
The two-day event welcomed a free entry at the studios as attendees feasted their eyes upon the stunning shoe collection which featured limit edition models. The Archive attracted much attention as inside the studio the buzzy crowd portrayed the hype with all ages in attendance.
Immediately what stood out was the impeccable layout of the display which both drew attention to the remarkable shoe collection and accommodated prodigious viewing access.
Although displayed in the dimly-lit room, the shoes beamed their magnificence under individual lighting. Along one side of the room stood an extensive glass wall containing a hallowed treasury of footwear with models such as the Hamburg, Kegler Super, Milano, SL80 and the Trimm Star.
Aligned in a picturesque and perfect way the mammoth structure drew attention to each unique shoe within its glass walls. Visitors snapped up pictures as they gazed upon the rejuvenated models and classics.
After spending only a short few minutes within the studio, the archive drew a sense of the marriage between Size? and Adidas. The project was instrumental in illuminating the connection between terrace culture and Adidas Originals.
It was easy to comprehend the fascination each single fan shared as their talks discussed all things shoes. On hand to answer any burning questions or provide information was Dan Sandison. Dan works for Mundial Studio Agency who helped produced the Archive event.
Dan said: “The project itself is a long term project from Adidas Originals and Size? to celebrate the heritage of Adidas. They have been producing the shoes for such a long time, they wanted to do something like this to celebrate it. A lot get forgotten because there are so many shoes that get left behind a little bit so it’s good to bring those back to the spotlight.
“The Archive has iconic models of Adidas such as re-issues of issues that were iconic in the 70’s like the Forest Hills, SX8000, Micro Pacer that had been updated and release by Size? to a new audience.”
To celebrate their 10th-anniversary Size? teamed up with Adidas to create the City Series based on existing models of the Adidas Originals. The changes were inspired by the cultural aspect of six chosen cities which included London, Manchester, Dublin, Birmingham, Glasgow and Cardiff.
These models were super limited Edition as each model had only 500 pairs made, each getting a little reminder of their limited nature on them. Each unique shoe had their own showcase accompanied by a crystal white backdrop and an enlarged image of the United Kingdom portraying the six cities.
Certainly, the studios held an eye-catching event and a chance to reminisce on the classic Adidas Original trainer. Each visitor was treated to a publication that offered a small insight into the extensive retrospective of the Size? x Adidas Originals Archive Project.
With Size? being based in Manchester, it was the perfect setting for the Archive to debut in the Northern city. Asking why the archive debuted in the Mancunian city, Dan added: “Manchester is a massively receptive audience to Adidas because of football culture and the North West in particular. Manchester is kind of central, you can get people across from Liverpool and that. Why it was picked first, I suppose that’s it, it has a strong header to cheer size.”
“Manchester is a massively receptive audience to Adidas because of football culture and the North West in particular. Manchester is kind of central, you can get people across from Liverpool and that. Why it was picked first, I suppose that’s it, it has a strong header to cheer size.”
When asked if the Size? x Adidas Archive will be popping up over the country He said: “There will be more than one, it is not just Manchester but nothing is confirmed yet so don’t read to much into that.
“But there are things that Size? are going to do, they have lots more planned for Archive.”
The shoes that defined a generation still continue to do so today. This is definitely one exhibition to keep your eyes on. Check below for some of the shoes from the collection including the super limited City Pack editions.
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