A member of staff at Edinburgh Napier University has collaborated with indie giants New Order as part of a new Adidas campaign for London Pride.
Colin Malcolm – a technical co-ordinator within the University’s School of Arts and
Creative Industries – became associated with the band while he was studying for
a MA in Product Design at Edinburgh Napier in 2014.
After posting photos from his major project – ‘Mining for Counterculture’ – on his
Instagram page, he struck up a friendship with the band’s art director.
He helped out on a couple of small projects for the band, and was
invited to Vienna to meet the band and take in a gig. Colin was then offered the
chance of assisting New Order with a project for Adidas’ #Prouder campaign in
support of London Pride.
The project – which was launched at a star-studded event in London last week – has involved a raft of celebrity stars who have re-imagined the sports brand’s iconic Samba trainer.
Working with the theme ‘prouder’, stars such as Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Elton John,
Pharrell Williams and David Beckham, have all helped to makeover a pair of
Sambas.
The trainers from the campaign led by DJ Fat Tony – are now in the process of being auctioned off to raise money for LGBTQ+ charity The Albert Kennedy Trust.
Colin has helped develop a cast white marble pair of Sambas along with six rainbow
colour Portland stone Sambas on behalf of the band, with his contribution taking pride of place within the exhibition in London’s Soho district.
Colin said: “My involvement really stems from my MA that I did at Edinburgh Napier.
My major project has incidentally resulted in a book chapter with academic
publisher Rowman and Littlefield in a title called ‘Heart and Soul – The
Cultural Influence of Joy Division.’ The physical product that I made for my MA
was floating about on my Instagram page, New Order’s art director saw it,
messaged me, and I met up with him in Manchester, met the band in Vienna and
here I am now.
“They initially wanted a concrete cast pair of Sambas to reflect the band’s
industrial aesthetic but I developed this into a conceptual installation artwork
featuring a cast white marble pair of Sambas – the singer’s choice of colour –
on a plinth and six rainbow coloured Portland Sambas set in beneath.
“The final designs were unveiled at the launch last week. Kate Moss, Paloma Faith
and Nick Grimshaw attended along with faces and editors from the world of
fashion and creativity – David Beckham was supposed to come after the football
but it went into extra time!
“It’s been fantastic to be involved in such a worthwhile and high-profile project.
The pieces are being auctioned off on online so hopefully we’ll be able to
raise some funds for a great cause, The Albert Kennedy Trust.
“The support from my colleagues at Edinburgh Napier has been instrumental in this
opportunity – from Alistair Scott, associate professor for Film and Television,
sending me the original call for papers that has led to the book chapter, to
Ian Lambert, director of the School’s Art and Design Research Centre,
encouraging me to do the MA in the first place. I’m grateful for the chances
that have come my way so far.”
Adidas’ Prouder campaign is a cultural call to action of unity, originality and pride
curated by Fat Tony in aid of the Albert Kennedy Trust. Featuring a rollcall of
global creators from the LGBTQ+ community and allies including Elton John,
Pharrell, Marc Jacobs, Edward Enninful, David Beckham, Kate Moss, Naomi
Campbell, Amanda Lepore and many more, each participant re-imagines the iconic
Adidas Samba.
The shoes can be bid for on eBay here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/rpp/pride/pride-adidas
