The camo craze at adidas has only just begun. The German-based apparel giant debuted its “Impact Camo” line across a variety of sports, especially in one-off events, whether high school all-star games or even the NBA All-Star game. And we’ve certainly all seen their interpretation of camo for March Madness.
But the camo look is here to stay, adidas America senior designer Matty Merrill tells SportsLogos.net. And we see that in the recent launch of its Robert Griffin III training collection.
In an effort to promote a star player during the offseason—and, unfortunately for both RGIII and adidas, during a rehab—adidas crafted a bold aesthetic look around the rehabbing star, offering up a training line featuring dark onyx over bright infrared to create a new version of Impact Camo. There’s certainly no denying that this camo proves visible. Don’t plan on blending in with adidas.
The collection includes Techfit, Climalite and Formotion technology sprinkled throughout the line’s compression tees, graphic tees, hoodies, shorts, pants, socks and a trio of shoes.
I talked camo, RGIII and colors with Merrill:
Newcomb: adidas has been toying with camo a lot lately, is the Impact Camo line an extension of that or a culmination of that move?
Merrill: adidas has been pushing the boundaries of aesthetics and style. adidas introduced Impact Camo in several sports, starting with uniforms at the 2013 NBA All-Star Game and continuing to March Madness and beyond. You’ll see a lot of camo from adidas in 2013.
Newcomb: What’s the trickiest part of designing with camo? Are there fine lines there?
Merrill: There is a lot of camo out there and the consumer clearly has an appetite for it, but when adidas does camo, it is not going to be the type you find in a surplus store. Impact Camo is a truly original take on camo that represents a bolder, faster, more disruptive attitude. adidas carefully used a unique pigment printing process that features our darkest onyx layered over our brightest infrared.
Newcomb: I don’t see a lot of came in the shoes, why the differentiation?
Merrill: There are different levels of Impact Camo included in each product in the collection—from all-over print on the Techfit compression tee and the graphic tee to accents in the Speedcut Trainer and Team Speed Impact crew sock. Infrared pops in the hoodie, shorts, pants and Crazy Fast running shoes hook up with the rest of the collection.
Newcomb: What was the thought process behind choosing the main colors for the line?
Merrill: Unlike more traditional camo that blends in, this collection features an aggressive pattern created for visibility and disruption. The infrared on dark onyx really pops and makes you stand out. The sharp pattern is designed to show off speed and agility. It’s inspired by the battle for championships the best athletes in the world endure all year long—both in-season and during the offseason.
Newcomb: How much was RGIII involved in the design process?
Merrill: adidas met with Robert to review the print and product. The colors we chose for his Impact Camo are a direct result of that meeting. The Impact Camo Training Collection is inspired by his relentless determination and work ethic.
Newcomb: Is it tough to design offseason gear so different from in-game uniforms?
Merrill: From RGIII to the elite high school athlete, these guys are always on. RGIII leaves his house every day ready to represent the Redskins, on the field or in public. It may surprise some people, but elite high school athletes do the exact same thing. From camps to combines to games, these kids are constantly working to get noticed, to be discovered, to differentiate themselves. That means outperforming their peers by training harder, but it also means presenting themselves well. These guys put on a uniform to play the game, but they also put one on to train for it and to get in the right mindset before it. We design for all of those moments.
