adidas and Wales Bonner Tune Into Polyrhythm for SS25

31 May 2025

adidas and Wales Bonner Tune Into Polyrhythm for SS25—Starring Footballer Raphinha

Raphinha in adidas Originals by Wales Bonner SS25 apparel (left), WB Karintha Lo sequined sneaker (right), released 28 May 2025.

A Legacy of Collaboration

The Spring/Summer 2025 collection marks the latest collaboration between adidas Originals and designer Grace Wales Bonner, a partnership that began in 2020 and has since evolved into a defining dialogue between sport and cultural expression. Released globally on 28 May 2025, the collection continues their exploration of identity and heritage, bringing together port town energy with sporty elegance.

This season's drop includes a wide array of garments — from lightweight anoraks, tracksuits, hoodies, polos, and skirts, to suede and leather bowling bags and reimagined footwear icons. Most notable is the introduction of the WB Karintha, a new sneaker silhouette entirely conceived by Wales Bonner.

Grace Wales Bonner: Beyond Fashion

While her influence in fashion is international, Grace Wales Bonner is also deeply embedded in academic and artistic research. From 2020 to 2023, she led the Fashion Department at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, where she is conducting a four-year project titled "Between Critique and Hope", due to run until summer 2026.

This artistic research centers around the concept of polyrhythm—the simultaneous layering of contrasting rhythms—a structure rooted in African musical traditions, later expanded through jazz, tango, pop, and even metal genres. Wales Bonner's research applies this musical logic to archiving and cultural storytelling, creating a living archive that evolves with multiple voices and interpretations. The platform is digital and physical, spanning continents.

Polyrhythm in Couture and at the MET Gala

The theme of polyrhythm also echoed through the red carpet at the 2025 MET Gala, where Wales Bonner served on the host committee for the exhibition "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style". The show aligned perfectly with her brand's vision: intertwining European tailoring with Afro-Atlantic aesthetics.

She designed bespoke looks for a host of cultural figures, including Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton, who played a curatorial role, and musician FKA Twigs, whose feather-trimmed, crystal-embroidered organza dress nodded to Josephine Baker and the Harlem Renaissance. The evening became a vibrant stage for Wales Bonner's ongoing narrative of cultural fusion and historical homage.

A Campaign at the Crossroads

To launch the Spring/Summer 2025 collection, adidas and Wales Bonner set their campaign in South Africa, evoking a symbolic intersection between urban vibrancy and coastal openness. The visuals, captured with footballer Raphinha, tell stories of movement, contrast, and unity—mirroring the dualities at the heart of the collaboration.

Raphinha, known for his speed, dribbling finesse, and creative footwork on the pitch, becomes the perfect ambassador for a collection where sport meets high design.

Couture Meets Function: The WB Karintha

Among the standout pieces, Fashion.at's favorite is the sequinned WB Karintha, a sneaker that epitomizes the entire collection's rhythm-driven philosophy. With one version covered in glamorous sequins and finished in brown satin, and another in soft toffee suede, the WB Karintha is a wholly new silhouette designed by Wales Bonner—her first entirely original sneaker with adidas.

Its low-profile outsole, edged by a contrast grip pattern that crawls up the sides, stages a dialogue between luxury detailing and athletic functionality. This rhythm between opposites — glamour and utility, speed and stillness — forms a visual and tactile polyrhythm, wearable and expressive. In the campaign imagery, Raphinha's agile legs take the sequinned Karintha from being just footwear to a cultural message in motion.

The Spring/Summer 2025 adidas Originals by Wales Bonner is a living archive of movement, music, identity, and global connection—echoing the beat of a designer whose vision dances to many rhythms at once.

Images, from left: Brazilian footballer Raphinha wearing adidas Originals by Wales Bonner SS25, featuring coordinated coastal-inspired clothing. Right: The WB Karintha Lo sneaker with shining sequin upper and brown satin stripes. Collection available globally since 28 May 2025.