Culture

Gary Aspden Presents the adidas SPEZIAL SS18 Mixtape

Acid House nostalgia

https://open.spotify.com/user/chriswatt/playlist/4AFYuOpdq7ObbYJJzIfxYU

Delivering an exclusive mixtape of 80s Acid House bangers to END. in anticipation of the adidas SPEZIAL SS18 drop, Gary Aspden has lifted the veil on his archival inspiration for this season's line of heritage grails.

Repackaging the fundamental tenet's of Madchester's 1988/89 'Summer of Love' for a new audience 30 years on, Aspden and his team at SPZL looked to iconic northern nightlife hotspots from era for this season's inspiration.

Focusing primarily on The Hacienda, an infamous rave-haven which saw droves of Acid House insiders congregate each week, intent on sharing an escapist experience underpinned by a sense of subculture community, high-voltage house music, and a range of new-wave party drugs to liberate them from inhibition, Aspden's latest range for SPEZIAL captures the spirit of Acid House without delivering carbon copies of the era's style.

Check out some of Aspden's primary source imagery and design development below; a rare glimpse behind the curtain at one of the world's leading sportswear design institutions.

adidas SPZL SS18 footwear is now available for registration on END. Launches.

writerEuan Smart
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