Bringing together Eastern and Western influences, adidas Originals and Arwa Al Banawi have come together to launch a carefully considered take on the iconic Forum silhouette, with a newly designed sneaker that was launched from AlUla in Saudi Arabia. Over the past few years Arwa Al Banawi has made a name for herself as one of her generation’s most impactful designers. Through her Saudi Arabian brand, she has consistently inspired Arab communities by empowering women and communicating authentic cultural touchpoints. Known for the way in which she elevates each of her collections with original storytelling, Arwa Al Banawi blends traditional tailoring with contemporary perspectives, working out of her design studios in Jeddah and Dubai to seamlessly bring together Eastern and Western influences.

The collaborative sneaker brings a suite of personal touches to the timeless Forum silhouette, blending multiple perspectives — East and West, Past, and Present — to reinterpret the designer’s personal heritage for the future. Seeking to empower women from her home region and beyond, while demonstrating a firm commitment to communicating Arab culture to the world, the Arwa Al Banawi Forum silhouette pays homage to the designer’s Gulf roots, reimagining them in a new context.

adidas Originals pays homage to Arwa Al Banawi’s roots combining the essence of the Saudi Arabian culture with modern inspiration with the adidas Originals by Arwa Al Banawi Forum Lo Sneaker. The collaborative sneaker blends Eastern and Western influences and is mirrored with a contemporary art installation in the middle of AlUla – a magnificent heritage destination with stunning rocky landscapes in North West Saudi Arabia.

Arwa tells TMM that collaborating with adidas Originals was a dream come true. Excerpts…

How did the collaboration between you and adidas happen?
I was approached by adidas and worked with the global and local teams very closely throughout the process. It has been one of the most inspiring and exciting journeys in my career, it’s always been a dream to collaborate with adidas Originals.

The last year or so has been spent in lockdown. How did you manage to get the work done? Was it a challenge for you to work like this?
It was a challenge at first, but like any challenge, you need to learn the ways to accomplish your goals, I was working online virtually with my team, it wasn’t too bad.

What was the thought that they reached out to you with? And how did you decide to give shape to it with your own ideas and materials?
I was approached to design the Forum 84 sneaker and I’m a huge fan of the silhouette which is super iconic and retro.

What was your inspiration for the shoe? Can you take us through the process of designing it and coming up with the final design?
I was inspired by the silhouette itself, I wanted to keep its soul while adding my story and inspiration. I’m hugely inspired by raw spaces mainly the desert and nature and my inspiration were to include elements of the desert, elements of the Arabic culture as well as blending the East and West in one story.

You have used the Houndstooth pattern in the shoe. Can you elaborate on that? Why did you decide to go with this pattern?
The inspiration behind the pattern was to blend the East and the West and to emphasize on the patterns and the importance of heritage as the Houndstooth is classical and is used a lot in tailoring. The colour was also inspired by traditional fabrics in the GCC.

Please tell how and in what other ways you have incorporated the Saudi culture when you designed the shoe?
The use of the colour fold and the Arabic writing of the word Capra, the goats, and the scenes in the raw desert is symbolic of our region. It’s still a part of the culture to take care of our environment and part of the adidas vision. It’s a message to society to feel more grounded and connect with nature.

The installation was launched at Al Ula, a heritage site. Have you ever visited the place before? What did you think of launching it at such an important place of heritage?
It’s one of the most magical places on earth and it was such a beautiful factor in the story of our collaboration to launch in AlUla, being from Saudi it was the perfect link back to my roots.

Collaborations between designers and big labels can be quite exciting but do you feel it can sometimes be an impediment to your independent creativity? Also, are you open to more collaboration such as these? Collaborations are about storytelling and I’m a huge believer in that and for that, collaborating for me is personal. I believe in collaborations when the story is authentic, and the brand is one I love and admire and respect and adidas Originals is a brand I always dreamt of collaborating with. It’s a classic brand that truly inspires generations before and generations to come.

As a designer working in Saudi Arabia, can you tell us more about the design space there? Are there a lot of women coming forward to be a part of the design industry and do you see it as empowering women?
I work between the region and in Europe, I am inspired by many places in the world and I’m grateful to have relationships with my suppliers in the region, in Europe, and in Japan. In Saudi, the work vibe is energetic and inspiring and when I’m in town I love being there.

What are your future plans? Any interesting projects that you are working on?
Working towards interesting projects that we will announce soon. Watch this space!