adidas Originals x Eddie Huang

TORONTO – Rewind to 2008 and I’m in my family room with my sisters watching the fourth season of Top Chef and I happen to notice one of the contestants, Dale Talde, dressed in streetwear and one of the memorable accessories that he wore during that season was a 5-panel hat from DQM (Dave’s Quality Meat). After watching the show and learning that chefs aren’t always in their chef coats throughout the day, the connection of the streetwear and the culinary scenes began to intertwine with one another.

Six years later when I saw the Black Crab collection by Vans Vault x Off The Hook x Chuck Hughes, I was absolutely blown away. Although my love for both industries continued to grow throughout the years, the idea of a pair of sneakers as proper kitchen footwear never even crossed my mind. The collection consisted of two pairs of shoes, the Sk8-Hi Reissue LX & the Authentic LX, in a single colourway, all black. Both pairs were designed and constructed to be kitchen-ready with features such as water repellant, minimal stitching, waxed cotton laces, a cork insole and non-slip waffle outsole.

The final chapter of this story ends in the present day with the introduction of the collaboration between adidas and Eddie Huang. Y’all know Eddie, whether it’s as the dude on Viceland with a show called Huang’s World or as the owner of BaoHaus in New York City. They collaborated on a pair of Superstar 80’s, a classic silhouette, and added unique elements to increase the performance and wearability within a kitchen setting. The Huang’s World x adidas Superstar 80’s feature non-slip soles, steel toe, neoprene sock and the suede used for the upper is both stain-proof and flame-retardant. The all black colourway is set off with minimal pink detailing, such as the Huang’s World logo stitching on the heel as well as on the lace-tips.

For all of you working in kitchens currently, this would be a pair of shoes that you can wear to work, at work, and after work. No more accidentally going out for post-work drinks with your kitchen clogs still on, adidas & Eddie Huang got you covered. They are available now at adidas.com and at select adidas accounts such as CNCPTS.