DECADE – 10 Years of adidas SPZL Exhibition comes to Darwen
Today, adidas SPZL announces the DECADE – 10 Years of adidas SPZL Exhibition opening in Darwen, Lancashire from 17th-26th May at 14 Market Street, BB3 1AZ.
Featuring the complete adidas SPZL footwear archive and highlights from the 10 years of apparel collections. This retrospective exhibition will showcase vintage design references, unseen samples, technical drawings, signed footwear and a large selection of rare adidas SPZL artefacts. The exhibition will be a celebration of adidas SPZL’s 10th anniversary. To further celebrate SPZL’s 10th anniversary year, there will be intimate headline performances from Shaun Ryder’s Black Grape with a DJ set from Mani (The Stone Roses) on Friday 17th May and Stereo MC’s on Saturday 18th May at neighbouring venue Level 1. Blunt Shank – a bespoke Shoemaker, designer and restorer will be hosting a 5 day educational program for local students in partnership with Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery, which celebrates its 150th anniversary in June. On the 22nd May, there will be an intimate screening of past adidas Spezial films followed by a Q&A with the curator of the range Gary Aspden and SPZL film director Nick Griffiths (&SON) at the Darwen Library Theatre. On Friday 24th May a special release of the new Blackburn SPZL (DECADE pack) X Nightsafe edition shoe will launch exclusively at the exhibition raising funds for Nightsafe. Limited to only 100 pairs, the trainer features a unique red leather swing tag and Nightsafe branded sock liner. This limited-edition shoe is part of the new DECADE pack, a celebratory drop that features 4 updated bring backs from the adidas SPZL archive. Further information to be announced soon.
The new educational, retrospective adidas SPZL DECADE book will launch at the exhibition. This collector’s item showcases the full adidas SPZL footwear archive alongside detailed product descriptions, photography and quotes from SPZL’s friends and family including – Liam Gallagher, Vicky McClure, Ashley Walters, Noel Gallagher, Stephen Graham and more. There will also be exclusive celebratory adidas SPZL merchandise including a 10th anniversary charity tee and pin badge.
Darwen Live, the UK’s biggest free music festival that has several stages across Darwen will take place from the 25th-26th May, coinciding with the closing weekend of the exhibition. Admission to the exhibition is free, but donations to Nightsafe are encouraged. Sign up to www.decadespzl.com for further announcements.
Spezial curator, Darwen design Gary Aspden said: “Hosting the DECADE exhibition here in Darwen is a way of putting something back into the community where I grew up.
“Some may question why we would choose to do an exhibition like this in a relatively small town rather than amongst the cultural hub of a major city. There are post industrial towns like Blackburn with Darwen all over the UK and I guess the ambition is to demonstrate what can be possible in towns like this with a bit of investment and imagination.
“This new exhibition will once again attract thousands of people to Blackburn with Darwen and we’re looking forward to running it over the same weekend as Darwen Live – the largest free music festival in the country.”