Bet on women! Female artists created 50 pairs of custom Adidas UltraBOOST X and are auctioning them to benefit gender equity and female sports programs globally.
In collaboration with Refinery29, Adidas helped produce the BOOST the Nation collection with an all-female crew of 11 designers. Every designer was given the same canvas—Adidas UltraBOOST X, which is a trainer focused on sports performance and running—in its triple-white colorway. Each sneaker comes in a select size.
Each pair of sneakers symbolizes one of 50 states—drawing from local cultures and environments for creative direction. From graffiti artists to illustrators and fashion editors to chemists, the designers brought a unique idea in covering their designated states. They include Maria “Toofly” Castillo, Meagan Morrison, Bree Poort, Lizzie Darden, Jenny Kiker, Sophia Chang, Mari Orr, Jen Mussari, Carrie Chan, Jordana Schrager and Refinery29 editor Alyssa Coscarelli.
There shoes that look like forests, fields, rivers, mountain ranges, and beaches! North Dakota’s has herds of livestock grazing on mountains. There shoes that play around with gems and flowers! Kentucky’s is covered with roses and mint leaves. There are shoes inspired by food like lobsters, wheat, and steaks! Wisconsin’s looks like cheese of course. My home state, Jersey, looks like a pizza. And Georgia reps all things peachy.
The traditional Adidas UltraBOOST X is priced at $180. However, this collection is being distributed through a silent auction with the help of digital platform Wyng, meaning prices fluctuate based on bids. For example, one shoe is currently going for $110 while another already has bid for $1000. And there’s no guarantee these will cost that low tomorrow or when the auction officially ends on July 11.
No matter the price though, all proceeds will go to Women Win—an organization dedicated to aiding women and girls in receiving sexual and reproductive healthcare and rights; conquering gender-based violence; obtaining an education; and becoming financially literate. Sports programs worldwide are a main mode of the organization accomplishes such. In addition, those who do not purchase sneakers can still make donations through the auction to Women Win.
For more information and to participate in the silent auction, visit the Adidas website.
Photo credit: Meagan Morrison, Maria “Too Fly” Castillo, Bree Poort, Lizzie Darden, Jenny Kiker, Sophia Chang, Mari Orr, Jen Mussari, Carrie Chan and Jordana Schrager
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