On my first travels to Europe with my parents, way back in the early 1970s, the Adidas shops I’d enter in the German cities we’d visit would come across as one-dimensional in terms of sports affiliation. To my then untrained eye, they looked like they were pitching soccer and no other sport. Nevertheless, for me, the look was particularly unique. Weaned on American sports and basketball in particular; I found the soccer warm-up suits, the soccer shoes and their cleats, the three stripes and what looked to me like a three-leaf clover looked like they were destined to become a classic sportswear look.
Fast forward 30 and some odd years and Adidas has become a real global powerhouse. While other sports brands from that 1970 era have fallen by the wayside, Adidas has masterfully evolved to be an all-encompassing sports brand. They’re the official outfitters of the 2007-2008 NBA season, and even women have turned to the brand to make sporty streetwear and active lifestyle fashion statements, thanks to the Stella McCartney line. As with other sports brands, Adidas has also been embraced by the hip-hop, funky elements of modern society, and Yohji Yamamoto’s Y-3 line imbues Adidas with its own fashion-forward, edgy veneer.
Joey Singian, the managing director for Adidas Philippines, really had a lot on his plate to offer when Adidas staged a media launch recently at the Rigodon Ballroom of the Manila Peninsula. With a bevy of sports personalities and entertainment celebrities tapped as “soft” endorsers, Joey was going all out in showing just how popular the three-striped brand has become. No matter what your “walk in life,” one only “runs” with the best when wearing Adidas. My 13-year-old son Matteo has all the Tracy McGrady shoes, convinced by the heady merchandising that he had to have each and every model and color. And I ironically thank Adidas for that (hahaha)! And when I saw the Originals Collection during the fashion show that accompanied the launch, I saw just how smartly Adidas had converted national colors to fashionable yet sporty, exclamation marks. The Philippines, Peru, Brazil, Cameroon, the Bahamas, these were just some of the countries that Adidas had tapped — there were nifty training jackets and tops that proudly showed off one’s chosen colors, while staying on the High Street sidewalk of Fashion.
A four-leaf clover may augur luck, but the Adidas three-leaf has come to mean innovation, diversity and sports fashion sense in a big way. As for me, just look for me saving money for the next pair of Tracy sneakers Matteo will be begging me to get him!
Two old reliables and one impressive newcomer
Coming upon the new novels of writers we’ve long admired is like revisiting a holiday destination we’ve been charmed by in the past. When expectations run high and they’re satisfied, it’s sheer Nirvana. Discovering a new author with substantial raw talent also brings a wry grin to my face as I reach the last page. Three new novels recently gave me that distinct pleasure:
Divisadero by Michael Ondaatje (available at Fully Booked): The author of The English Patient, Anil’s Ghost and my personal favorite, Running In the Family, is back with Divisadero. At its core, the novel is a simple story about two sisters living on a California farm with just their father and a farmhand; and about the quest for love and identity. But that’s like saying a Ferrari is just a car. In Ondaatje’s hands, this novel breaks into memorable fragments, and defies conventions of time and place. When the story shifts to the French countryside, we hear echoes, see refractions and experience eerie coincidences that are trademarks of Ondaatje’s story-telling prowess. Never less than fascinating, Divisadero is an absorbing work that mirrors the dreamlike complexity of life and the turmoil of emotions with ringing clarity. Anyone who has read an Ondaatje novel will know what I mean, and this is a fresh offering that manages to also be familiar.
After Dark by Haruki Murakami (available at Powerbooks): With such a large canon of work, one would be presumptuous to expect every new Murakami novel to be better than the previous one. This one may not be regarded as among his very best, but it’s still vintage Murakami, showing he’s still master of his genre. Always loopy, riddled with synchronicity and with a lopsided vision of the world we live in, After Dark is a slight novel that never fails to fascinate. With a storyline that takes place in the course of seven hours of one night, the novel is a telling testament to modern Japan, to the alienation and angst that its residents are subjected to on a nightly basis. Love hotels, Chinese prostitutes, jazz musicians, philosophical daily wage earners, they all share the spotlight in this rambling novel. Characters flit in and out, but they all have interesting stories to tell, and we gladly let Murakami be our guide.
The Lost Diary of Don Juan by Douglas Carlton Abrams (available at Fully Booked): First time novelist Abrams brilliantly transports us to 16th century Seville, and takes on the life of the infamous and insatiable lover Don Juan. Set during the reign of Philip II, courtly intrigues, duels on rooftops, and seduction after seduction pepper this romp of a novel. To Abrams credit, psychological insights via episodes from the childhood and adolescence of Don Juan keep this from being a mere action and romance yarn. Attention to detail and creating an unforgettable nemesis make this novel a firm favorite for film adaptation. I can only hope it doesn’t suffer the same fate as the recent Heath Ledger portrayal of Cassanova. The pacing of this novel augurs well for the future works of Abrams. If you like your historical fiction written with vivid characters and larger-than-life treatment, this novel is begging for your undivided attention.
