Willy Chavarria Reveals New Adidas Collab at Spring 2025 Show, Updates the Jabbar Sneaker
Stephen Garner
Senior Editor
Adidas has added another fashion darling to its collaboration roster.
On Friday night, New York-based designer Willy Chavarria unveiled his new collaboration with Adidas Originals at his spring/summer 2025 runway show. According to the designer’s show notes, the collaboration came about as “an organic partnership born from a longtime mutual inspiration and affinity between the two brands.”
At the show, Chavarria unveiled 22 collaborative looks that aimed to challenge traditional norms in sportswear and fashion. As for the footwear within the collection, Chavarria updated the archival Adidas “Jabbar” sneaker created for legendary basketball icon Kareem Abdul Jabbar, one of the most celebrated basketball players of all time. In 1978, Jabbar received the first-ever Adidas shoe named for a basketball athlete.
“I am thrilled to be part of such an iconic brand,” Chavarria said. “I have long admired Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s consistent voice through his talent, and I am so proud to create a collection with the same message. It was important for me to highlight the achievements Jabbar made on and off the court – that played such a crucial role in shaping the culture today.”
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The show also saw the debut of Chavarria’s new collaboration with Allen Edmonds. Previewed by FN last month, the duo have come together on a split-toe derby oxford with a 54mm Cuban heel crafted in classic black box calf leather that aims to embody a classic dress shoe design while pushing the boundaries of formality and gender.
Dubbed “The Jalisco,” Chavarria said the shoe “anchors the singular Willy workwear uniform he showcased at Friday’s show. “This is the kind of shoe that you can put on with any outfit,” the designer told FN in August. “You can wear it with a dirty T-shirt and a dirty pair of jeans. I feel like this is that kind of shoe. So, I’m seeing it styled with athletic wear – like tracksuits — but also with fine tailoring, and then with more casual sportswear and workwear.”
Chavarria’s Friday show, dubbed “América,” was a “celebration of the enduring legacy of a nation built on dreams, resilience, and limitless possibility,” the show notes said.
“‘América’ champions its immigrants in an exploration of diversity, beauty and community within fashion,” the notes added. “Progressive thinking occurs in three runway movements: Fine Fashions, Willy Produce, and Community Center. New shapes are born from Willy Chavarria tailoring his dream pursuits into Italian cotton sportswear that embody the essence of American ingenuity. Each chapter innovates with the emotional range of the Willy Chavarria humanity wardrobe.”
Two-time Latin Grammy-nominated sibling recording artists Yahritza Y Su Esencia opened the show wearing pieces from the new collection and performing “Querida,” their heartfelt cover of the 1984 classic “Querida” by Juan Gabriel, for the very first time live.
