Grace Wales Bonner has a way of making the three stripes feel like heirlooms, and her new season with adidas Originals leans all the way into that. The adidas Originals by Wales Bonner Autumn Winter 2026 collection is live on the Wales Bonner store now, and this time the brief was her own archive. The shapes are ones you know. The materials are not.
The Gazelle goes croc
Start with the shoe up top. The Gazelle Croc takes the classic Gazelle silhouette and wraps it in deep green croc-embossed leather, with cream three stripes, a bright blue lining, a gum sole and the signature Wales Bonner topstitching at the heel tab. It reads like a vintage football boot that has been sitting in a very good wardrobe for forty years, and it is the easiest pair in the drop to wear every day.
Karintha in dark brown
The Karintha Croc is the one for people who already own a Wales Bonner Samba. The Karintha is an original Wales Bonner silhouette rather than an adidas archive model, and here it comes in rich dark brown crocodile-stamped leather with gold brushed eyelets and the three stripes worked into the upper. Low, sleek and a little bit formal, it sits closer to a dress shoe than a trainer.
The BW in pony hair, for the first time
The BW Pony is the real surprise. The archival BW trainer arrives in pony hair for the first time, with lizard-print overlays and signature topstitching, in khaki and in black. Texture is the whole story here. It is the pair that will get noticed across a room.
Rounding out the footwear is the Adizero Adios Suede, a running-inspired adidas shape reworked in wonder white suede with dark brown detailing, topstitched stripes and a co-branded tongue. Think of it as the lighter, sportier counterweight to the croc and pony pairs.
The clothing
The apparel is just as considered. The standout is a leather blouson in signature Wales Bonner bark with crochet side stripes, the kind of jacket that justifies the whole collection on its own. Around it sit tracksuits, a pinstripe track top with matching shorts, an 80s track top and pant, a drop-crotch track pant, a collared football top, striped knitwear and accessories including a bag and three-stripe socks. The palette runs through deep greens, cobalt blue, navy and warm striped knits in burgundy, orange and mustard.
The campaign
The campaign was photographed by Harley Weir and draws on 1980s London, which suits a collection built on track tops, football shirts and terrace-era trainers. The still lifes were shot by Pam and Deo. It all lines up with what Wales Bonner does best, which is treating sportswear as a record of culture and memory rather than a trend cycle.
Why it matters
This one is Surfacing. Wales Bonner pairs rarely hang around, and croc Gazelles plus the first pony hair BW make this one of the stronger adidas collaborations of the season, so check sizes on the Wales Bonner store early. For more on the adidas archive, read the adidas Samba explained, and see how another designer handled it in Song for the Mute x adidas Originals 008.
