Andrew Rizzo Throughout all his sneaker industry endeavors, James Whitner’s goal of empowering underrepresented voices in art and culture remains a constant. 38a, the Whitaker Group’s art gallery located in Pittsburgh, is perhaps the biggest driver of that mission, shining a light on the works of black, brown, and minority creators. This November, 38a is expanding with a new gallery in Charlotte, and will mark the occasion with a multi-city exhibit dubbed Queens & Kings: A Tale of Two Cities. For our purposes, they’re also linking up with adidas on a special edition Superstar.
Right off the bat, the influence of playing cards is clear as day. The black and white shoe features serif “Q” and “K” letting across the left and right backtabs, respectively, complemented by card-inspired insoles and an added card hangtag. Text reading “To The Queens + Kings” appears on the inner tongue, with the “+” cleverly factored into blank space. These also come with pebbled leather sidewalls and thick, Lanvin-esque herringbone laces, complete with 38a’s logo on the tongue.
The Queens & Kings: A Tale of Two Cities exhibit will be hosted in Charlotte from November 15th-December 6th, while the Pittsburgh exhibit will run from December 13th-December 30th. Unfortunately, the adidas Superstar “Queens & Kings” is a special edition that will be gifted to select creators and is not expected to see a public release. However, know that this page as well as our Sneaker Release Dates hub will be kept current with updates if circumstances change.
