Playing with the codes of high fashion, sportswear, and streetwear through the House’s GG monogram and Web juxtaposed with adidas’ Three Stripes and Trefoil, the kaleidoscopic aesthetics of Alessandro Michele’s adidas x Gucci collection lead to infinite interpretations. 

Understanding the creative possibilities of the collection, Draw A Dot founder Marcus Kan teamed up with the House to call upon artists to create sports-related drawings that capture the colorful, retro vibes of the collection. Envisioned to showcase fashion illustrators, Draw A Dot also spotlights what they can do for brands, leading to creative collaborations. 

For the adidas x Gucci open call, the artists had two weeks to complete the artworks and during that time, they were encouraged to share their inspirations, mood boards, and work-in-progress stories on social media with the hashtag #drawadotadidasxgucci. What ensued was a multifaceted creative exercise, with 16 winners announced; the top three chosen directly by Gucci. Jamie Edler, an illustrator from the UK, took first place, followed by NYC-based artists Paco May and Adri Reynoso. The other winners included Agáta Trpišová, Andrea Del Hoyo, Anna Tsvell, Cassie Lee, Christina Bui, Cia Moon, Clemens Maurer, Glenn Sandoval, Hayley Stuart-Malcolm, Katerina Balashova, Katerina Vasilyeva, Nataša Kekanović, and Sasha Romashko.

In response to the submissions, Marcus says, “When I look at these 16 illustrations, I find that each piece has a story to tell. These artists have created artworks that arouse the viewers’ attentions and make the viewers want to know the story behind each piece. A successful illustration always has a strong story telling element and these 16 artists have definitely achieved that.” A further reflection of how the story Alessandro Michele creates for the House can splinter out into multiple directions when filtered through the lens of self-expression.