Time and again at Homegrown, we have been fascinated by the power of food. How if we look closely, food can tell stories; stories of people, memories, and places. How it has the ability to transport us to new places but also to remind us of home. It is very much so a universal language of love, one that is not limited by cultures. It comes as no surprise then, that there is no better inspiration than food, even when it comes to fashion.
Back in 2019, Indian sneaker brand VegNonVeg collaborated with Fila for their The Masalabox Mindblower sneaker that drew inspiration from the universality of the concept of the masala box and how everyone has one. The pungency, loudness and flavour of the masala box coupled with the vibrancy of Indian culture resulted in their red and yellow chunky sneaker. Other than that, in the global context, Nike has collaborated with Scarr’s Pizza on the Nike Air Force 1 Scarr’s Pizza, KITH collaborated with the renowned Italian-American restaurant Carbone for an apparel capsule and KOIO collaborated with chef Dominique Ansel on limited-edition pair of the Koio Avalanche that was inspired by the core ingredients in a classic French croissant: flour, sugar, eggs, and butter.
Still culinary collaborations are highly underrated and don’t take place all that often. Changing things up is Adidas who is now cooking up a series of culinary collaborations for their series titled ‘Adilicious’. As a part of the series, the brand will be celebrating 11 community-focused eateries around the world with footwear that tells each one’s unique story and will be paying tribute to the food that’s bonded its communities.
The first in the series is their collaboration with Dubai’s iconic Pakistani restaurant Ravi. Situated in the heart of Al Satwa, the family-owned restaurant Ravi has come to be associated with the authentic taste of Pakistani food, especially for those who miss the taste of home-cooked meals at affordable prices. Founded by Chaudary Abdul Hameed, the restaurant is famous for its Peshawari chicken, chicken tikka and daal fry. But what are the absolutely necessary ingredients for this collaboration you ask? Just authentic food, real people and these fresh sneakers out of the oven with perhaps an order of Ravi fit to a tee on the side.
Named ‘Superstar Ravi’, the first of Adidas’ culinary-inspired sneaker silhouettes will feature classic colours — white, off-white and green with Ravi’s opening year displayed on the opposite heel tabs along with their name in both Arabic and English fonts. To further tell their story, it will also feature a hand-drawn map of Ravi (the river that flows through northeastern Pakistan) displayed on the liner as well as the restaurant’s six most beloved dishes printed on the inside tongue like a mini menu.
Talking about the collaboration with Gear Patrol, the founder said Abdul Hameed said, “We’ve been feeding the people of Dubai for over 40 years, across different generations, and now bringing our story to the table in a different way is a moment for our family to be proud of.” Further adding to it, his son Waqar Hammed, said, “As our restaurant is one of the city’s most nostalgic and culturally relevant restaurants, the match was perfect.”
The Superstar Ravi sneakers are scheduled to go online on 23 June 2022 and will only be available offline at select Adidas retailers across Dubai.
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