Andrew Rizzo Austin sneaker outpost Kicking It is releasing a limited collaboration with adidas on the Gazelle Indoor — and it’s a beauty.
Several meaningful inspirations come together to produce a colorful sneaker that feels wonderfully Southwestern. At the core of it all is Austin’s music scene, a proud declaration of the city’s status as the “Live Music Capital of the World.” The most significant reference points to Antone’s, a historic Austin blues club founded in 1975 where legends like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Ray Charles, and others once performed. When the club had to board up during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Antone’s lifted spirits with a mural of blues icon Muddy Waters on its exterior.
Additional standout details include guitar pick patches on the heel, guitar string-inspired stripes along the sides, and maroon and yellow accents paying tribute to Huston-Tillotson University — Austin’s only HBCU and oldest institution of higher learning — as well as the alma mater of Kicking It founder Dr. Gregory Grovey II. Kicking It and company were kind enough to break down all the minute references in their own graphic, attached below.
Beyond the sneaker itself, a portion of Kicking It x adidas Gazelle Indoor sales will fund scholarships for students at East Texas University, benefiting its jazz band and future music programming. Kicking It is also hosting an in-store launch event featuring hat customizations, grill and tooth gem molding, and in-person first looks at the sneaker. Later that night, Antone’s will open its doors for a free community concert headlined by rising hip-hop artist J. Soulja and blues band The Keezy Experience.
The Kicking It x adidas Gazelle Indoor “Live Music” retails for $120 and releases in limited quantities on October 11th exclusively through Kicking It (in-store and online). If you’re a proud Austinite, this is one you won’t want to miss.
