Shantell Martin And Adidas Are Drawing Lines Between Black History And Celebrating Women
Shantell Martin, visual-artist.
MATT DOYLE
By Cassell Ferere originally published on Forbes.com
In Black and white, visual-artist Shantell Martin has been drawing the lines that become the words that guide her life's passion to educate while embracing the human condition. Like everyone else in the world, Martin has been subject to the pandemic and realizes the “inadequacies we have in our system to follow real guidance,” she describes. The system is why she is drawing the lines for society to follow, actively participate in the creative process, and unite as a global community.
Adidas has drawn on Martin for an artist-driven initiative with Makerlab, a dedicated space to customizing and personalizing Adidas apparel and sneakers with Martin’s signature line strokes. Adidas MakerLab is produced by the creative studio Harley & Co, based in New York City. Located on the second floor of the JD Flagship store in Times Square, New York, the activation is live until March 17.
Adidas MakerLab activation t-shirt in collaboration with Shantell Martin, visual artist.
ADIDAS X SHANTELL MARTIN
The British-Born Shantell Martin hales from Thamesmead, London. She grew up boxed-in by the many sharp angles of the concrete architecture of her lower-middle-class neighborhood. The well-traversed Martin has shared the grassroots experience of a struggling artist moving to the Big Apple from Japan, where she worked as an award-winning visual jockey creating live visuals for DJs and nightclubs.
Adidas MakerLab activation sneaker in collaboration with Shantell Martin, visual artist.
ADIDAS X SHANTELL MARTIN
Shantell Martin can now share her art and message through the MakerLab. Guests can come and purchase a curated selection of Adidas shoes and apparel and apply Shantell’s designs to the product through techniques like embroidery, sublimation, stenciling, and embroidery. Martin says about the design and elements that she wants to “speak to many moments that are here to stay, here to change the present and the future, and here to be seen and acknowledged.”
Shantell Martin, visual artist.
COURTESY OF VITRA
The Adidas MakerLab activation comes when Shantell acknowledges a disconnect between factions in society and a lack of accessibility to self-expressive tools. MakerLab opens up the playing field, democratizing design for customers to interact and engage. Guests can take the playful lines and semantic wordplay and place them arbitrarily. They get to touch the material and find a placement for the designs through emotion and feeling.
Adidas MakerLab activation t-shirt in collaboration with Shantell Martin, visual artist.
ADIDAS X SHANTELL MARTIN
Featured
MODEL: Julian Mobley (@prtty.prblmatic)
Photographer, Art Director and Stylist: Adam Stone (@_ajstoneCreative)
Photo and Wardrobe Assistant: Angelica Vargas (@loner.feminist)
Makeup Artist: DJ Wuerfele (@beatbydj)