With the launch of the iconic FORUM shoe in Europe, adidas Originals and Foot Locker take us on a journey through creative communities in London, Barcelona, Milan, and Paris

The FORUM shoe has long dominated popular culture, squeaking up the hardwood of a basketball court and stomping the stages on the feet of rap superstars from the 1980s to today, reimagined and collabed with artists and designers like Bad Bunny and Jeremy Scott. There’s vibrant, global tradition and heritage between adidas Originals and the continent-trotting sport of basketball too – and of course, Foot Locker being the trainer haven for sports fans, sneakerheads, and culture lovers alike. Now, adidas Originals and Foot Locker unleash the iconic archive silhouette onto Europe, with a take on the FORUM that brings it back to its roots in basketball.

The revisited take on the classic model and ultimate shoe for summer 2021 is available to shop on Foot Locker now. For all you enduring sneakerheads, it stays faithful to the original trainer, first launched in 1984, and its sensibilities as a shoe made for the court and the streets. The FORUM shoe – in its versatile low and high forms – has that iconic, vintage silhouette, keeping its X-shaped design and memorable removable ankle strap.

The adidas Originals and Foot Locker reinventions also speak to modern tastes and wants – the women’s FORUM Bold has a wedge outsole for that extra level, while the FORUM Exhibit Low is made with recycled materials, remains true to our ambition to eliminate plastic waste with 20 per cent of the parts used to make the rod and containing a minimum of 50 per cent recycled material.

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To celebrate the FORUM trainer and the spirit of basketball and courtside culture that culminates in it, adidas Originals and Foot Locker are bringing us a series of bespoke digital activations that explore its impact and place in Europe’s cultural scene. In four colourful, cool visuals, we meet the creative crews from London, Milan, Barcelona, and Paris that adidas Originals and Foot Locker chose to tell FORUM’s story, and their own stories of music, culture, and community.

The four videos, fostered by lead creative agency Futurimpose and lead production agency Kitten, parachute us into the four European hubs. In Barcelona, we meet Ayax, Mami Water, Chocolate TV, and our MC Jimmy Bones. In Milan there’s Chadia Rodriguez, Truly Design Crew, Big Booties Streetball, and our MC Ilaria Grande. Sleek and skilful Italian rapper Chadia performs an intimate show in the studio.

Over to London we get to know Enny, Last Night in Paris, and our MC Henrie. “A lot of us are first generation, there’s a combination of how our parents were raised and how we grew up here. You see people who look like you. There’s a feeling of home here a lot of people don’t get to experience in Britain, and I’m thankful for the social scene,” emerging South London rapper Enny says.

And in the final moment in Paris, there’s an exclusive performance by Luv Resval, a creative installation from JDID Club, and a live interview with Cameleones by Paris’ MC Tysha Cee. You can watch all four European stopovers and cultural scene reports here now, and see that no matter the cultural codes, basketball and its breezy spirit lives large.

Shop the adidas Originals x Foot Locker FORUM now in the UK, Spain, France, and Italy