Gary Aspden is a bit of a hero. The North’s adidas ambassador, he has been working with adidas since the ’90s, touching everything from Originals and Y-3, to numerous collaborations with the likes of Bathing Ape and the Hacienda’s 25th-anniversary shoe, the FAC-51.
Alongside Mike Chetcuti, Aspden runs adidas’ Spezial line, dedicated to upgrading the terrace classics of adidas past in new, innovative, “luxury leisurewear” ways. Since 2014 when Spezial launched, the line has had numerous classic releases, such as the GT Manchester SPZL trainer released in 2017, the Horwick anorak – seen on every Northern great from David Beckham to Liam Gallagher – released in the same year, and a whole variety of bags, trainers and jackets in an abundance of colourways.
The thing about classics though, is that they’re still being made.
The upcoming release, featuring the Blackburn Ewood, the Malmo Net, and the Hoylake, are about to go down in trefoil three-stripe history.
You can read our interview with the man himself here, or peruse the full Spezial collection at Oi Polloi before it drops this Thursday.
