News of a possible partnership was leaked on Instagram this month, but now we can officially reveal that Pharrell Williams’ adidas Originals HU NMD sneaker collaboration with Chanel is launching at Colette. The shoe is a limited-edition exclusive with the Paris concept store and will debut there as part of a monthlong Chanel takeover of the boutique’s first floor Oct. 30-Nov. 25.
The sneaker comes in black and white (under the circumstances, it was never going to be neon yellow, was it?) with black Flyknit upper featuring “Pharrell” and “Chanel” embroidered respectively on the left and right foot.
This sort of link between Chanel and Adidas sets an interesting precedent. Sure, the latter has its Adidas by Stella McCartney and Y-3 with Yohji Yamamoto — but Chanel is a whole different league. Unlike Louis Vuitton, which recently joined forces with Supreme, Chanel isn’t usually given to collaborations.
But Pharrell has a foot in both camps, so to speak, and has made it possible. He is both a friend of the house — he’s walked the runway and appeared in a campaign film for the new Gabrielle bag — and also has his own ongoing HU collaboration with Adidas. Whether this is a one-off or the beginning of a beautiful friendship, only time will tell.
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The sneakers drop toward the end of the residency, but other covetable Chanel exclusives available throughout the month include limited-edition T-shirt designs by Karl Lagerfeld and a special music compilation by Michel Gaubert. He creates the soundtracks for the Chanel runway shows.
There will also be the cleverly named 3.55 podcast on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with special guests including Chanel ambassador Caroline de Maigret, an intimate showcase concert by French-Cuban musicians Ibeyi and makeup workshops every Friday. Profits will be donated to Chanel Foundation charities supporting women as agents of social change throughout the world.
