adidas and Foot Locker Unveil Graffiti 'Sole' in New End to End Footwear Collection

NEW YORK, April 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Graffiti art and street design collide in the new End to End footwear collection, unveiled today by adidas Originals and Foot Locker. These unique, original designs were crafted by seven of the world's most celebrated graffiti masters -- from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and France -- who were brought together in a collaborative effort to create a unique style that takes their artwork from the sketchbook to the streets. The artists were on hand to paint a full-size replica subway car to demonstrate their craftsmanship, while showcasing their creativity and artwork, from end-to-end.

Available exclusively at Foot Locker stores globally, the End to End Collection features the All City Collection, the Burner Collection and the King's Collection.

"Together with Foot Locker, we were able to create a 'think tank' where these artisans could amplify their creativity and design one of our most vibrant collections to date," says Liad Krispin, Head of adidas Trend & Lifestyle Marketing/US. "Never before has a project like this taken place where the collection is designed alongside developers to ensure that the product correctly represents the artist, their style and their artwork."

The End to End Project: A Unique Collaboration

Over a period of three days, the artists worked around the clock in a custom-built creative environment to produce the artwork for this distinctive collection. In gathering the artists together under one roof, adidas and Foot Locker created a new process in developing graffiti-based designs.

For their world-class workshop, adidas and Foot Locker gutted a large warehouse in East London's hip Spitalfields area, then remodeled the space to produce the ideal creative environment. Enormous white canvases and a full range of "tools of the trade" -- spray paint cans, nozzles, markers, paint brushes and anything the artists could possibly need -- was provided so they could focus on their craft. The remarkable results offer designs that embody the creativity, the collaborative spirit, and the artistic beauty envisioned by the End to End project.

"The bold styles on these classic silhouettes will resonate with our customers, who are always looking for new and innovative product designs," said Jeanine Zocks, Vice President of Marketing, Foot Locker US. "We are excited to offer the adidas End to End collection to our customers worldwide."

Masters of the Trade

Each piece of signature footwear showcases the artists' unique, individual talents and tastes. The graffiti masters include:

  Skore -- For more than 20 years, Skore has been a staple part of the
  subculture in the U.K., participating in every aspect of the art form. His
  development of lettering styles combined with technical skill and original
  flair has kept him a primary influence for many graffiti writers
  worldwide.

  Can2 and Atom -- Can2 and Atom juxtapose traditional letterforms and
  characters with searing colorways and incredible attention to detail.
  Together, they have influenced a whole generation of modern-day graffiti
  artists.

  Siloette -- Based in the U.S., Siloette's illustrative style of character
  and letter painting has made her one to watch, with an incredible use of
  color and unique flowing style.

  Rime -- Known for pushing the limitations of lettering, Rime's pieces are
  a combination of vivid colors, cartoon-style outlines and bold tags. He is
  one of the most respected writers in the U.S., and has influenced many
  others both within and outside of the graffiti world.

  Scien -- Working alongside his wife Klor, Scien developed the infamous 123
  Klan collective in 1992. Well known for crisp outlines and clean
  detailing, his repertoire now extends beyond graffiti: the 123 Klan is
  established as one of the finest design and illustration agencies in
  Europe.

  Smart -- Combining traditional New York lettering with creative hand
  styles, Italian-based Smart has quickly become a name to be reckoned with.
  All of his work has a raw and funky twist to it, utilizing great colorways
  and inspired detailing.

  About the adidas Group

The adidas Group is one of the global leaders within the sporting goods industry, offering a broad range of products around the three core segments adidas, Reebok and TaylorMade-adidas Golf. Headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany, the Group has more than 25,000 employees and sales of around euro 9.5 billion. The adidas Originals collection is represented by the Trefoil -- the classic three-leafed logo introduced in 1972. Representing a fusion of sport authenticity and global street style, adidas Originals extends the brand's unique sport heritage creating an aspirational fashion label for today's lifestyle consumer.

About Foot Locker, Inc.

Foot Locker, Inc. is a specialty athletic retailer that operates approximately 4,000 stores in 20 countries in North America, Europe and Australia. Through its Foot Locker, Footaction, Lady Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker and Champs Sports retail stores, as well as its direct-to-customer channel Footlocker.com/Eastbay, the Company is the leading provider of athletic merchandise.