Adidas Originals x Alexander Wang Season 2 Arrives Tomorrow With a Chatbot Retail Scheme—See Every Piece

Memorize this phone number: 917.512.7715. On July 29 at noon in New York City, that number will be the key to shopping Alexander Wang’s second Adidas Originals collection. Continuing the nontraditional retail formula he started with last season’s parked trailer truck stores, the designer will sell his new line through a text message chatbot. Posters at Clarkson and Greenwich Streets will contain codes for every one of the 27 items in the collection—you’ll need the code to text the chatbot—while single posters will be scattered throughout the city and a large billboard erected at Kenmare Street and Bowery. “The activation is just as important as the products, because it really speaks to the narrative and the concept,” says Wang. “If you see a wild posting, you could just text the number and order the item and get it essentially—in New York, where there are so many cycling messengers—delivered right to your home.”

Influenced by the disparate yet oddly connected worlds of rave culture and cycling, Wang’s capsule combines performance-wear and lifestyle pieces in a host of neon colors. The inspiration, he says, came from the many highlighter shades that appeared in his Spring 2017 collection, along with videos of mass cycling events. “It kind of reminded me of Mad Max, when they’re going down [through] the desert and there are people with huge speakers,” he says, noting that instead of heading to a desert oasis, Wang’s gang is en route to a party. “I liked the idea that they were all going to this destination, this underground, crazy rave.”

Those two ideas fused into a text-heavy collection and came to life in a video of a model biking and partying her way through New York, as directed by Ryan Staake. In the short, the model—to be revealed soon—wears a neon ensemble and an Alexander Wang for Adidas beanie turned balaclava to make some deliveries, then goes to a proper rave. The good news is that while this collection hits fashion’s current slogan and athleisure trends right on the nose, it also includes apparel you can actually wear to work out in, whatever that workout may be. “My exercise is going out and dancing!” says Wang with a laugh. “So when people ask if I exercise . . . yeah! Friday and Saturday.”

Adidas Originals x Alexander Wang Season 2 will be released in New York City on July 29 at noon via chatbot and globally in Alexander Wang and Adidas Originals stores, and online at adidas.com/originals and alexanderwang.com on August 5.