Adidas serves up restaurant sneaker collaborations
Adidas, in a collaboration with Pakistani restaurant Ravi in Dubai, has unveiled a limited-edition shoe line to induce nostalgia for the old eateries in the nation.
Adidas has launched a sneaker collaboration with Ravi in Dubai
The Adidas Original Superstar special edition titled ‘Superstar Ravi’ is inspired by the Pakistani heritage of the owners, and features a custom sock liner with a hand-drawn map design signifying the meaning of the name Ravi, which is a river in north-eastern Pakistan.
The heel tab branding includes the year Ravi opened, alongside the name in English and Arabic on either shoe. The restaurant owners hand-selected six dishes that have been added to the tongue of the sneakers, with English on one side and Arabic on the other (the restaurant’s famous chicken biryani and karak chai made the cut), and each pair of shoes are delivered in a special-edition takeaway-style box.
Ravi, which opened in 1978, is a popular dining joint for both expat and Emirati foodies, and boasts of hosting celebrities including US rapper Snoop Dogg and pop band One Republic.
The launch is part of a series of sneakers celebrating community-focused eateries in 11 cities worldwide. The shoe line will be available from June 23 at select retailers in Dubai and online.
Ravi founder Chaudary Abdul Hameed said: “My family has worked so hard to bring Ravi to where it is now. It has become more than just a restaurant with staff and customers, it has become a home that many grew up with. To say that Ravi had a humble beginning and is now representing Dubai as a key city with Adidas is a milestone to celebrate.”
An Adidas spokesperson said: “This unique collaboration represents the ability of food to be able to transcend physical borders and create cultural bonds, metaphorically transporting us to somewhere new or a taste of home for many of the diasporic communities found in Adidas’s key cities. Through the ‘adilicious’ series, every restaurant brings their own unique culinary perspective and story to the table.”