Grace Wales Bonner and Y-3 Unite on adidas Archive Revival at Paris Fashion Week
Grace Wales Bonner’s partnership with adidas has become one of the most closely watched in fashion, consistently fusing heritage sportswear with cultural storytelling. For Spring/Summer 2026, the British-Jamaican designer deepens that dialogue by joining forces with Yohji Yamamoto’s Y-3 label, marking a rare three-way collaboration within the adidas ecosystem.
Presented during Paris Fashion Week, the collection unveiled more than nine new footwear styles, including two collaborative designs with Y-3. Central to the offering is the revival of the Y-3 Field Shoe, a low-profile silhouette originally released in 2003 at the height of the Yamamoto–adidas partnership. Reintroduced with Wales Bonner’s signature detailing — elongated tongues, mismatched stripes, and intricate stitchwork — the shoe re-emerges at a time when demand for football-inspired footwear is at a high, ahead of the World Cup.
Alongside the Y-3 collaboration, Wales Bonner expands her mainline adidas collection with experimental reworks of archival silhouettes. Highlights include a woven iteration of the Karintha, bowling shoe-inspired trainers in early-2000s palettes, an Adizero Adios OG reimagined in tonal brown, and football boots finished in faux snakeskin. Two new Gazelle interpretations — one in faux pony hair and another in faux snakeskin — extend the brand’s enduring retro appeal. Accessories, such as a structured bowling bag and a rope-style low-profile trainer reminiscent of luxury ballet flats, further round out the collection.
The Wales Bonner x adidas Spring/Summer 2026 collection, including the Y-3 collaboration, will roll out in the first half of 2026 through adidas channels and selected global retailers. Pricing has yet to be disclosed but is expected to sit at the upper end of the brand’s collaboration tier, reflecting both the heritage of Yamamoto’s Y-3 and the cult momentum of Wales Bonner’s vision.
For adidas, the partnership signals a deepening of its strategy to mine its archives through contemporary collaborators. For Wales Bonner, it marks another evolution in her ongoing project: elevating sportswear into the realm of cultural artifact and luxury object, while continuing to build momentum on the global stage.
Images courtesy Wales Bonner