Rick Owens, famed for his brooding, avant‑garde vision, reunites with German sportswear titan Adidas for Spring/Summer 2027.
The American designer unveiled his latest collection in Paris early Thursday, with the voluminous, air‑filled jackets created in partnership with Adidas drawing particular attention. The black track tops, marked by the iconic three stripes and paired with matching joggers, were inflated to mimic the wobbling mascots often seen in pedestrian zones around the world. According to Berlin‑based streetwear publication Highsnobiety, integrated fans are engineered to cool the wearer.
Owens is said to have incorporated Adidas’ Climacool technology into the pieces — a system unveiled ahead of the Football World Cup after years of development and originally conceived for motorsport. According to Adidas’ June announcement, the technology is engineered to lower body temperature and enhance heat tolerance by integrating cooling gels into a vest worn over a jersey.
Owens continued, “Combined with an ice vest, [they] create a personal air‑conditioning system designed to lower a runner’s core temperature before a race.” That ice vest was first conceived to help soccer players manage heat during the World Cup, and Adidas has since expanded the technology, unveiling Climacool fan‑equipped cooling jackets for Formula 1 drivers this year.
These innovations appear suited not only to the conditions of the Football World Cup, currently taking place across Mexico, the US and Canada, but also to the heatwave gripping Paris and overshadowing fashion week. Owens, who had initially planned to show his collection in the afternoon, moved the presentation to 10 a.m. just days before.
The collection’s voluminous silhouettes were also offered in a more conventional cut. Beyond the track jackets and long‑drawstring joggers, the collaboration featured sporty, floor‑length hooded coats, abbreviated shorts and a range of trainers.
Rick Owens and Adidas are revisiting a relationship they forged years ago, with their most recent collaboration occurring nearly ten years prior. As Paris swelters, Owens and Adidas offer a vision of style built for survival, sculptural, strange and unmistakably forward‑looking. Their reunion suggests that the next era of sportswear won’t just dress the body but defend it.
