Aaron Hope 
adidas Originals just announced a new partnership with Japanese streetwear legend Nigo. It’s the latest in a line of key signings for the Brand with the Three Stripes, but not quite as big a surprise as a convert like Kanye West. We say that because stretching back for about half as long as Nigo’s keystone brand, A Bathing Ape, has existed, it has collaborated with adidas and created some of the most sought-after sneakers in the burgeoning hobby.
The Bape x adidas partnership started back in 2003 with a big set of releases, then cooled off for a period while the Bathing Ape footwear line took off. They even borrowed the Superstar’s shell-toed design for the Skullsta, which proved to be one of Bape’s most popular offerings. Then at the start of this current decade, they struck up once again and then moved on to bring in international sneaker boutique Undefeated for a memorable set a short while back.
Sources: shellpros/eatmoreshoes
adidas Superstar ‘Super Ape Star’
Among the first Bape x adidas collabs releasing in 2003 was this ‘Super Ape Star’ quartet. A clean white and black colorway channeled the classic Run-DMC look but the suede upper and leather branding combo plus that customized name on the sides set these apart from any of the OGs. A blackout style incorporated gold BAPE branding while the camouflage edition arguably captured the brand’s signature style best. That last pair was sufficiently influential that it spawned a custom Superskate lowtop by Benji Blunt. And speaking of Superskates . . .
adidas Superskate ‘Super Ape Skate’
Another four Three Stripes collabs from A Bathing Ape surfaced in 2003 in the form of the Superskate midtop. Each of the three retail releases was limited to just 500 pairs. There’s one in olive suede plus white and black leather, another with the same formula but switching olive for black and black for silver. Then there’s the snakeskin pair, which is the more widely circulated (but not by much) version of a style that had a more exclusive iridescent edition created exclusively for staff members. That black and gold employees only joint was limited to a scant 100 pairs. All of these came with three sets of alternate laces, with one featuring the Bape ape logo and two more with camouflage print like the box Stripes.
adidas Superstar 80s ‘B-Sides’
After letting their in-house footwear efforts grow for several years, Bape once again teamed up with adidas Originals in 2011. The ‘B-Sides’ initiative was all about remixing beloved collabs from the first decade of the 21st century, so Bape chose another suede Shelltoe, only this time on the 80s variant, and with navy blue leather detailing instead of black. They also switched up the side panel script with a ‘Trefle En Chevrons Et Bape’ hit in tribute to adidas’ legacy in France. It was arguably the single most hyped adidas release of 2011.
UNDFTD x BAPE x adidas Originals
Two established intercontinental giants came together with the Three Stripes brand in 2013. Undefeated and A Bathing Ape joined forces on a trio of gold branded, camouflage-infused adidas Originals. The ZX 5000 stood out with its patriotic Stripes overlay, but premium suede editions of the Campus and Stan Smith were some of those respective models’ best drops this century. No wonder adidas Originals and Nigo made it official; they’ve got a proven track record of teamwork where describing their collective efforts as ‘successful’ is putting it mildly.
