Adidas Ashington

To celebrate the career of Manchester United legend Sir Bobby Charlton, adidas Originals released The Ashington, a limited edition shoe named after the hometown of the World Cup-winning footballer. We were tasked with establishing a creative direction for the product launch that straddled the boundary between sportswear and football. Our solution was to come up with a look and feel that gave subtle nods to Sir Bobby and the club where he made his name without being overtly football-focused, as this was not a football product. We chose to shoot close-ups of someone holding the shoes like you might hold a pair of football boots, and married these stills with moving images that told a story of Sir Bobby's past – red smoke slowly billowing past terraced red brick houses synonymous with the post-industrial north; a ball bouncing by a cold concrete structure boldly etched with the number 9 (the same number that adorned the back of shirt).