EXCLUSIVE: Pinoy artist Quiccs shares what it means to design the adidas Forum shoe
What started out as a dream is now a reality. Filipino toy designer and visual artist, Juanito “Quiccs” Maiquez, has recently collaborated with adidas to reinvent the classic Forum Low silhouette.
Having his artwork incorporated into a shoe has placed Quiccs on the map, proving that his career in art goes beyond toys and collectibles.
After the widely successful Harden Vol. 5 “Manila Heritage” colorway, Quiccs once again partners with adidas and joins its pool of global artists and athletes, and he is hoping to "motivate the next generation of adidas icons to embrace an open forum spirit and be unafraid of new possibilities, opportunities, and experiences."
“Since the beginning of this partnership, I have said how I would like to be able to show and inspire other people that through passion, patience and hard work, one can build their dreams into a reality. ‘Earning my stripes’ was an opportunity I only used to dream of, and now I am living it, and I am honored to share with my fellow Filipinos— and the rest of the world— an iconic adidas Originals silhouette featuring a design that was a product of my passion and creativity,” says Quiccs in a statement.
Fans of the beloved shoe that became popular in the '80s, will love this limited-edition Quiccs Forum pair, which features three striking red stripes to signify "Stripes Earned." It also includes the artist's signature designs such as his crossbones logo and "TEQ63," which can be seen on the upper, gold metal deubre, and on the back heel.
He also incorporated the phrase: "IT WAS ALL A DREAM" and "01.21.20" to signify the day the partnership happened.
And finally, Quiccs has made it possible for shoppers to customize their shoe by using the two colored shoelaces and three interchangeable straps in red, white, and white with print, that's included in the set.
Continue reading below to know more about the collaboration in PhilSTAR L!fe's exclusive interview below.
This is your second shoe collab with adidas. What does that mean to you to be able to even say that you have made your own adidas shoe?
I felt extremely honored to be given this opportunity to be creatively open into putting my own soul and signature to the Forum design.
How did your latest collaboration with adidas come about? What drew you to this collaboration?
The Forum shoes is adidas' main drive for this year, so they invited me to be part of the releases. I am a huge fan of the adidas originals brand, and the Forum is such a classic silhouette, so I instantly got on board of course!
What do you find so interesting about the sneakerhead subculture?
It's very similar and parallel to the designer toy subculture, so I feel very at home in it.
How was the shift from designing toys to designing shoes and clothes? And how did you incorporate your philosophy as a toy designer to your shoe designs?
My brand has always been an interconnection of Graffiti, Streetwear and Designer Toys, so the sneaker culture is also strongly interconnected with it, and it was very natural for me to translate my vision and style to sneakers.
Can you tell us about the story behind the artwork you choose for the Forum shoes?
The adidas team and I worked on a shoe that was very me and had my soul in it but at the same time looked classic and commercially ubiquitous, and our final product was the OG RED "Stripes Earned." For the Friends and Family version, I wanted to introduce something extremely "me" and something new, a blueprint of sorts to what I plan to do for future collaborations with the brand.
What would you say was your most memorable moment during the design process?
The back and forth with the adidas team was quite unforgettable, it was a great team effort of many talented individuals when it came to fleshing out my digital design into the actual shoe.
What’s most satisfying as a designer: coming up with something sophisticated, or seeing people wearing your clothes?
Seeing people wear and enjoy my clothes!
What do you want your next fashion collaboration to be?
I'd love to be able to work with other creators from the adidas brand. We recently started this in a way with our recent collab with DMC at ComplexCon!
The newest iteration of the adidas Forum, designed by Quiccs, will be available in adidas.com.ph, adidas App, and adidas stores in select countries starting Oct. 15 and will retail for P6,500.