A new adidas SPZL anniversary exhibition has launched in Darwen

A new adidas anniversary exhibition has opened on Darwen’s Market Street, celebrating 10 years of the brand’s SPZL archive.

The exhibition features the complete adidas SPZL footwear archive and highlights from the 10 years of apparel collections.

The retrospective 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.

As part of the programme, there will be intimate headline performances from Shaun Ryder’s Black Grape with a DJ set from Mani (The Stone Roses) on Fri 17 May and Stereo MC’s on Sat 18 May at neighbouring venue Level 1.

Blunt Shank – a bespoke Shoemaker, designer and restorer will be hosting a five-day educational programme for local students in partnership with Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery, while on Wed 22 May, there will be an intimate screening of past adidas SPZL films followed by a Q&A with the curator Gary Aspden and SPZL film director Nick Griffiths at the Darwen Library Theatre.

On Fri 24 May a special release of the new Blackburn SPZL (DECADE pack) X Nightsafe edition trainer will launch exclusively at the exhibition raising funds for Nightsafe, and is limited to just 100 pairs.

The new educational, retrospective adidas SPZL DECADE book will also launch at the exhibition. This collector’s item showcases the full SPZL footwear archive alongside detailed product descriptions, photography and quotes from SPZL friends and family including Liam Gallagher, Vicky McClure, Ashley Walters, Noel Gallagher, Stephen Graham and more.

SPZL curator, 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.”

Admission to the exhibition is free, but donations to Nightsafe are encouraged. Sign up to www.decadespzl.com for further announcements. You can find more exhibition about the exhibition here.

Featured image credit: Jody Hartly