MANILA, PHILIPPINES – In 2019, adidas Originals inaugurated its landmark partnership with gaming superstar Ninja through the launch of a special ‘Time In’ Nite Jogger sneaker. Today, the German Sportswear brand and global pop-culture icon present a bold new collection, advancing the next chapter of the ‘Time In’ narrative through heartfelt personal storytelling. Brought to life by a touching animated film entitled ‘Chase the Spark’, the collaborative collection encourages people to believe in themselves, to pursue the things they’re passionate about, and to be bold enough to see where they can take them. Leveraging two key adidas Originals silhouettes – the Nite Jogger and ZX Torsion – as a canvas through which to tell his story, the ‘Chase the Spark’ collection poignantly celebrates all the moments that come together to create Ninja’s journey.
Speaking on the ‘Chase the Spark’ ethos, Ninja explains how he hopes telling his story will inspire future generations to pursue their craft: “When I started playing video games, no one had imagined what was possible in gaming yet. All I cared about was doing what I loved, so I just kept going. I wanted to use this project to highlight some really personal times in my life and I hope that in doing so I can inspire others, showing them that it’s okay to chase their dreams too. That’s also why I picked different colors and textures for each of the shoes – as a way of referencing all the different phases we go through on our respective ‘Time In’ journeys.”
Shining a light on the personal inspiration behind the collection is a carefully considered animated campaign film. Dubbed ‘Chase the Spark’, the film draws on Ninja’s own love for Anime, following an animated version of Ninja as he chases a spark through several important life moments: from playing video games with his brothers to winning an award on stage. Ultimately, the film ends as Ninja passes over a pair of his new sneakers to a young gamer, igniting the boy’s own spark in the process. Celebrating the truly personal nature of the film, alongside the campaign launch Ninja will also be revealing more details about the real life stories that have inspired his journey.
Moving to the collection itself, the adidas Originals and Ninja ‘Chase the Spark’ footwear offering features four striking new updates to two of the brand’s most forward-thinking silhouettes: the Nite Jogger and ZX Torsion. Bringing the multi-hyphenate creator’s vision to the fore, both silhouettes are tech-inspired takes on vintage styles, allowing the wearer to run after their dreams and look good doing it.
Chosen by Ninja for its innovative look and feel, the collection features two distinct takes on the ZX Torsion silhouette: one in shades of tonal grey, and another in grey, white, and a striking purple. Both colorways of the Ninja ZX Torsion then feature mesh and suede uppers, rubber outsoles, textile linings, responsive BOOST midsoles, and stabilizing Torsion systems.
Meanwhile, the Ninja Nite Jogger is made up in two bold new colorways: one in amber, a vibrant orange, and royal, and the other in black and grey with rich blue details. Each pair then features a breathable textile upper, leather toe cap and eye stay for added support and protection, as well as contrasting laces. This is all sat atop a rubber outsole, an injection moulded TPU heel stabilizer, and a full length BOOST midsole.
Available in both adult and kids sizes, the ‘Chase the Spark’ collection launches worldwide on October 14th at adidas.com/ninja.
