Adidas Originals and Urban Outfitters have teamed up to create a new ad campaign, We the Future, featuring some of our favorite voices in the industry right now like model and activist Ebonee Davis, Gabby Richardson from Art Hoe Collective, Yeezy model Braina Laviena, and style influencer Alexis Jae.
Besides the great personalities included in the story, on the Urban Outfitters blog there are also interviews with each person, talking about their passions, why they love fashion and what they want to see change. Our girl Ebonee Davis shared a gem saying, “I think they have been different in the past. I’d say there’s been a dismissal of responsibility by the fashion industry as a legitimate media source and a lack of responsibility when it comes to handling social issues, I’m not sure why. I think we’re totally responsible. I think we totally have a responsibility because we’re putting imagery out into the world, and with that imagery we’re putting written content, so I think we need to put out that type of imagery and that much imagery. You set the tone for society. People are looking at these top models and looking at these images, and seeing themselves or not seeing themselves, or seeing themselves portrayed in a good way or seeing themselves falsely portrayed or portrayed negatively or portrayed stereotypically.”
The collection features classic styles like the Gazelle, Stan Smiths, Superstar, and Campus and head-to-toe Adidas looks for both men and women, with lots of sweatshirt and matching tracksuit bottom sets, all bringing back memories of the 90s. And though no curve models were used in this campaign, it’s a step in the right direction for major brands to make diversity a priority not only in the kinds of women used but also their voices.