AVAVAV adds fingers to classic Adidas footwear

Now on sale, the garments are the result of an unexpected collaboration between Adidas and Beate Karlsson, creative director and founder of Avavav, a Swedish brand that mixes high fashion with eccentric shapes, ironic elements and daring solutions. Following a visit to the Adidas headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany, Karlsson set out to radically rethink the brand's iconic elements, including the triple stripe, but the most representative design of this unexpected fusion is the Superfinger sneakers.

Superfinger Superstar sneakers is the post-modern name the brand has given to this accessory, which, like a Sottsass lamp, completely avoids thinking of its structure in functional terms. The object in question is a kind of colourful prosthesis that, when paired with classic Adidas Originals models such as the Stan Smith and the Gazelle, transforms the foot into a large four-toed paw.

The accessory attaches to the trainer and can be adjusted with straps. The shell, a kind of glove, is made of full grain leather (the outermost layer of the animal’s hide) with a rubber sole, midsole and shell toe. On the Adidas website, what will probably become an object of desire for many is on sale for €250 (including the shoe).

But that’s not all: when removed from the shoe, the accessory becomes a rather impractical bag whose four toes can be used to store items such as lipstick, mascara or a few cigarettes (everything a fashion victim needs for a Tuesday afternoon stroll in Milan).

The lesson (and success) of Maison Margiela’s Tabi models has been taken up by Beate Karlsson, who has exaggerated the shape of this unforgettable - yes, unforgettable - design: there are many fingers in her collections.