Who is Donald Glover?

The multi-talented Donald Glover would perhaps by some be better known by his alias Childish Gambino, but either way, the famed rapper, comedian, director and actor among other things is one of the hottest names in popular culture. His work on hit FX comedy-drama ‘Atlanta’ and his ever-growing discography have allowed him to squeeze into the upper echelons of the creative scene and emerge side by side with some of the best his generation has to offer. His efforts haven’t gone unnoticed and it wasn’t long before Adidas’ head was turned and talk of a collaboration began to surface. Soon after the announcement was made official in September 2018 and the upcoming capsule would contain three silhouettes – the Nizza, the Lacombe and the 80 Continental.

Donald Glover x Adidas Collection

What did Donald Glover do at Coachella?

What would you do if you were walking through the General Store at the Coachella Campgrounds on a sunny afternoon in Palm Springs and your phone buzzes, appearing on the screen an AirDrop request from a certain Donald Glover, who happened to be there headlining the event. A lot of people would assume it was a mistake, perhaps even suspect a scam, or something else untoward, but for those lucky few who received the request, didn’t suspect the worst and accepted the invitation, well, your curiosity was awarded. As the AirDrop was in fact from the real Donald Glover, and it was not by accident, what he wanted to share with a lucky random few who happened to be in the area was the opportunity to be the first to cop his unreleased collaboration with Adidas Original, a stylish take on the classic Adidas Nizza silhouette. On accepting the AirDrop, you were gifted with a coupon valid for 60 minutes, and all you had to do was get yourself over to Vintage Market on the campgrounds to claim your new kicks. The fortunate few who were able to get there hands on the exclusive did so at no cost to themselves but did leave the Vintage Market with a responsibility to uphold. Each pair came with a personal “contract” from Glover, encouraging those who picked them up to “wear the shoes,” “come to the show,” and “keep them on all weekend.”

First look at the Donald Glover x Adidas Nizza

Glovers collaboration with Adidas Original has been teased since September 2018 with an animated epilogue for the music video of his rapping alter ego Childish Gambino’s song ‘Feels Like Summer,’ in which a cartoon animation of the rapper is seen slipping into a pair of his new Nizzas. No official release date had even been as much as rumoured for the shoes, but in typical random and spontaneous Glover style the drop came when people least expected it. As for the design, this variation on the Adidas Nizza foregoes its traditional lifestyle aesthetics for one as deconstructive and poised in nature as Gambino’s many recent works. The shoes upper, though once a clean canvas on which to build, instead adds in a cut-up lower panelling with frayed hems ornamenting the surroundings of the model in an execution that creates acting mudguards and cap toes. Laces pop in comic-like fashion through their boldly outlined design with white logos and intricate sole units contrasting against the backdrop of off-white hues. This is a shoe not meant for the resale market but instead intended as a mainstay of your collection, a shoe to be worn and a shoe to be appreciated.

Childish Gambino at Coachella

Glover’s giveaway wasn’t his only experimentation with tech this weekend. Gambino and Glover collaborated on “Brighter in the Dark” a multi-sensory installation featuring Gambino’s music that Coachella attendees can experience. It follows the Gambino Playmoji they debuted earlier this year, and Gambino also debuted his film project with another musical superstar Rihanna called Guava Island which is available to stream for free via Amazon Prime. So for Donald Glover, it was a busy weekend, and a carefully calculated one, but one which seemed spontaneous in nature. In a world where every trainer drop results in crashed web pages, queues around the block outside stores, and apocalyptic levels of hysteria, it feels like a breath of fresh air(drop) the way these shoes were dropped, and what a way to make someone’s day. I’m not saying you should always accept AirDrops from strangers, but if it’s from Donald Glover, do yourself a favour, and take a chance.

If you feel like you’re never the lucky one who gets the drop, or is there for the exclusive, don’t be disheartened, all you have to do is head over to Laced where you can buy all the drops you’ve missed, or sell some of the ones you didn’t.