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Denim Tears has revealed its first collaboration with adidas Originals: plaid versions of the Stan Smith and Superstar featuring Sankofa symbols. The design draws on the Ghana Must Go bag, and the brands have not announced a release date.
Denim Tears and adidas Originals have unveiled their first collaboration, showing Stan Smith and Superstar sneakers covered in plaid inspired by the Ghana Must Go bag. The brands have not announced when the shoes will go on sale, leaving the release date and other launch details unconfirmed.
An early look shared with Hypebeast shows both classic adidas silhouettes in a black, blue, red and cream woven plaid. Cream appears on the soles of both shoes and on the Superstar’s shell toe. Each pair also features a Sankofa symbol beneath co-branded details on the tongue.
In an interview with Hypebeast, Denim Tears founder Tremaine Emory said the plaid was a deliberate choice for his first adidas Originals collaboration. He connected the pattern to the Ghana Must Go, or Market, bag, which he said he had seen around Canal Street since childhood and in the hangers and bags at the Denim Tears flagship, African Diaspora Goods.
The collaboration was introduced on Canal Street in New York, with campaign images placing the shoes at an open-air stall near the subway station. A nearby corner building was also covered in the same plaid for a pop-up installation. The supplied report identifies the Stan Smith and Superstar as the partnership’s first products; it does not give a price, sales channel or release schedule.
A Plaid Pattern With History
The collection gives a globally recognizable carryall pattern a prominent place on two established adidas designs. Emory’s explanation places the plaid beyond its visual appeal: he describes it as a cultural motif of the diaspora whose history connects Africa, Asia and New York street life.
The bag’s name refers to the 1983 mass expulsion of Ghanaians from Nigeria, when many people carried belongings in plastic bags of this type across borders. The source report describes the bag as having shifted in meaning over time, from an object associated with displacement to one also linked with resilience, memory and African diasporic identity. The shoes bring that layered history into a commercial fashion collaboration, though the report does not specify how the companies will address it in sales or marketing.
The project also matters as the start of a relationship between Denim Tears and adidas Originals, rather than a single standalone shoe release. Emory characterized the partnership as “symbiotic,” pointing to shared interest in visual codes and cultural references. Further products are possible, but none are detailed in the announcement.
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From Canal Street to the Sneakers
The Ghana Must Go bag is commonly associated with a red, blue and white check pattern, though the shoes shown here use a broader palette that also includes black and cream. Emory told Hypebeast the pattern originated in Africa, became widespread in Hong Kong architecture as scaffolding material, and was later used for bags popularized by a Chinese tailor. Those historical details are attributed to Emory’s account in the interview.
The design also incorporates the Sankofa symbol, which Emory described as meaning “don’t forget to go back and get what you forgot.” He connected it to Black metalsmiths who were freed slaves and placed the symbol on gates across the eastern United States and the Caribbean. The source report does not independently verify that historical account.
For the debut, the brands returned to the street setting Emory cited as part of his connection to the bag. The Canal Street imagery and plaid-covered installation frame the shoes through that local reference, rather than presenting the pattern only as a decorative print.
“It’s a New York thing. It’s a New York-inspired brand.”
— Tremaine Emory, speaking to Hypebeast
Release Details Still Pending
No release date has been announced. The available report also does not confirm pricing, regional availability, quantities, retailer information or whether the two shoes will be sold together or separately. Images provide an early look at the designs, but the source does not establish whether every pictured detail will appear on final retail pairs.
Emory’s account of the plaid’s origins and the Sankofa symbol supplies the designer’s interpretation, not independent historical documentation. The report does not include separate adidas comment on the history, launch plans or the scope of the collaboration beyond the two revealed sneakers.
Awaiting Launch Information
The next confirmed step is for Denim Tears and adidas Originals to share release information. The source report says readers should stay tuned for details but gives no timetable for an update. Until the brands announce more, the shoes’ price, availability and on-sale date remain unknown.
Any additional products in the partnership also remain unconfirmed. Emory’s positive description of the collaboration signals enthusiasm, but does not establish what the brands will release next.
Key Questions
What is the Denim Tears x adidas Originals collaboration?
It is the brands’ first collaboration, revealed through plaid versions of the adidas Stan Smith and Superstar.
What inspired the plaid design?
The shoes use plaid inspired by the Ghana Must Go, or Market, bag. Tremaine Emory connected the pattern to African and Asian history and its presence on Canal Street.
When will the shoes be released?
No release date has been announced. Pricing and sales details have not been provided in the source report either.
What does the symbol on the shoes mean?
The shoes feature a Sankofa symbol. Emory described its meaning as “don’t forget to go back and get what you forgot.”
Are more products planned?
The two shoes are identified as the partnership’s first products. No further items or release plans are confirmed in the available report.
Source: hypebeast.com
