adidas Originals once again teamed up with CLOT, under the direction of Edison Chen, and the results are great. The Mundial Collection comes as a prelude to the World Cup and follows a simple, but powerful idea: football has always extended beyond the pitch. It moves through cities, subcultures, generations and moments as a shared language, one that Chen understands and reshapes.
The CLOT Mundial
The focal point of the collection is the CLOT Mundial, a silhouette that takes one of adidas’ most respected football designs and pushes this into new, unfamiliar territories. Traditionally rooted in performance and heritage leather construction, the Mundial is elevated through a premium leather upper.
What sets this pair apart is the introduction of the raffia Three Stripes. The woven texture disrupts the visual language of traditional adidas footwear and replaces synthetic or leather striping with something that feels more organic, almost handcrafted.
Underneath, the espadrille sole adds to the transformation. This is where it is taken even further from its original form. The sole replaces the conventional football outsole with something suitable for leisure and warm climates. The result is a hybrid, part archive, part reinterpretation look that bridges sport and lifestyle.
The CLOT Samba
Alongside the Mundial, the CLOT Samba continues to explore the story. Built on the Samba Millennium upper. The silhouette keeps it recognisable proportions but evolves it through a more layered material contrast. A suede toe cap grounds the design in classic football style, while ghe raffia details are back along the base. This contrast is the defining feature sets the tone for the sneaker.
Football Reimagined
Beyond the sneakers itself, the collection tells a narrative-driven story that falls into animation as a way of storytelling. Global football heroes like Raphinha and Luis Díaz are reinterpreted as characters within an anime inspired world, positioning them as cultural figures.
The visual direction is led by Annie Choi, whose work introduces a stylised, immersive quality that contrasts with the traditional sport campaigns. Subtle references to the adidas Trionda World Cup match ball can be found in the campaign, tying the collection back to the global stage and the World Cup.
A New Chapter
What defines the Mundial Collection is its intent. It treats heritage as something that is always evolving and open to reinterpretation. By using unexpected materials such as the radfia and espadrille construction, and pairing them with storytelling beyond the pitch, adidas Originals and CLOG position the sport as something that fits in with all cultures.
