Amid Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival season, the Adidas Forum Mid shoe line was just unveiled, with local fashion designer Anya Ayoung-Chee spearheading the design.
The teal-colored and gold metallic Adidas mid-top shoe, which is trending on social media, was created in collaboration with Ayoung-Chee, who was instrumental in its design.
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The local designer and the US-based School for Experiential Education in Design (SEED), in association with Pensole Design Academy, worked together to portray the tale of Carnival. The sneakers cost US$160 and can be purchased on the Adidas website.
Adidas slides from the collection were also made available; they cost US$70.
The slides and shoes are a part of a larger line that also includes jewelry and clothes.
Ayoung-Chee conveyed her amazement at the event and her feelings about the local reception so far in an interview with a local newspaper.
Ayoung-Chee explained her connection with the Los Angeles-based SEED program, stating that the group assists gifted African American women in pursuing their goals in design.
With Ayoung-Chee serving as a consultant to ensure that the collection’s design captured the genuine spirit of Carnival, the team of six women in this SEED program cohort had the chance to fully immerse themselves in the Carnival culture of Trinidad and Tobago.
Ayoung-Chee told the Express that the effort started when she was approached approximately two years ago to work on it by Cheresse Thornhill, the director of SEED, Design Education and Growth.
The driving force behind the endeavor is Thornhill, an American with Trini ancestry. During the conversation, Ayoung-Chee commended Thornhill and the group of ladies, underscoring the team’s abundance of skill and hard effort. According to Ayoung-Chee, Bruce Cayonne, the resident artist in the area, was also a factor in the equation.
As Ayoung-Chee pointed out, this preparedness makes it easier for women to get jobs in the field, “So, basically what they do: they train very small, very talented cohorts of young women of color, who have tremendous promise and they do it in an experiential way where they are designing and prototyping shelves with Adidas’s support.”
According to her, the real lesson aligns with Adidas’ business practices, “so this project we started like two years ago because we have to be in the timeline of deliverables, for the intention was to launch now, obviously for Carnival 2024.”
In her own words, Ayoung-Chee explained her involvement, “So, my role was I consulted with the team of six young women and we worked over six months in the first instance and I brought a perspective of the history of Carnival, the origins of our Carnival story, the business of Carnival, the demographics that participate in Carnival all around the world (a Caribbean version anyway) and how to harness the story to design from an authentic standpoint versus the Carnival that is seen, which is often a very overly commercialized version of Carnival.”
She went on to say that this marketed rendition, “is very far away from the revolutionary history of Emancipation which is what our Carnival is really about”.
In keeping with that, the team was given access to the local designer’s expertise and comprehension of the Carnival tale.
According to Ayoung-Chee, the line initially consisted solely of adult footwear, but it later included youth and clothing as well.
“And then it expanded into accessories, and it went from being North America to being Europe to being global, and now it is massive activation for Adidas; it is really amazing to see what has happened,” Ayoung-Chee stated.
Ayoung-Chee expressed her hope that this would be the first of many to follow, “So, we are hoping to continue this sort of road show with the collection and telling the story of Carnival and we also hope this will not be the last.”
Ayoung claimed that since her business, WyldFlwr, embraces the Carnival spirit, the partnership with SEED seemed appropriate.
WyldFlwr is a resort wear brand influenced by Burning Man and the Trinidad Carnival. It pays homage to her passion for the culture of the Caribbean and her background in the carnival business.
