James Harden, Kendall Jenner and More Star in the Third Chapter of Adidas Originals’ Dystopian Saga

They are all up-and-coming stars whose creativity has helped them stand out in an increasingly schizophrenic world. In short, they did it their way.

These personalities come to life in the third chapter of Adidas Originals’ “Original Is Never Finished” campaign by creative agency Johannes Leonardo. The first ad in the series saw Snoop Dogg salute Sinatra’s classic ode to independence and the second chapter in the series remakes the first ad, but with an all-female cast. The brand new spot includes twists on many of the same images including Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus,” now embodied by … you guessed it … Kendall Jenner.

Unsurprisingly, chapter three is every bit as intense and colorful as its predecessors.

Alegra O’Hare, vp of global communications for Adidas Originals & Core, described this ad and another set to launch in China as “re-interpretations” of the larger campaign, which has been the brand theme for Originals in 2017.

“Adidas Originals always wants to stay true to the ethos of endless creativity, and it is important to stay centric to our DNA in that a real original, and authentic creativity, is always a work in progress,” she added.

Regarding the stars of this new ad, O’Hare said, “The great and unique thing about Adidas is the diversity that we embody both from a product point of view and also through the community of people that we work with. For the first time, Adidas Originals has had the privilege of working with a new group of creators, each of whom are a reference point for the current generations. Collectively they, alongside the powerful voice of Frank Sinatra, bring a new and fresh perspective on the meaning of doing it your way.”

“It’s a continuation of a story that started in 2015,” said Leo Premutico, chief creative officer for Johannes Leonardo. “What the three stripes campaign is about is removing the mental barriers that keep creators from producing their best work and being true to themselves.”

So far, the campaign has taken what Premutico calls “one of the most used songs out there” to new places including a brand takeover of the 2017 Grammy Awards and images of Jenner emerging from what appears to be an Alien-style sleep chamber.

“Kendall Jenner’s courage is something we wanted to celebrate,” he added, citing the media pressure that surrounds the reality star and other often-criticized celebrities like Harden. Coming back to the brand philosophy, Premutico said, “If you look at adidas design philosophy, the shoes are a living, breathing demonstration that this company believes in constant reinterpretation.”

CREDITS

Client: Adidas Originals
Agency: Johannes Leonardo
Title: “Original is never finished 3″

Adidas Originals
Global VP of Brand Communications: Alegra O’Hare
Global Director of Communications & Brand Marketing: Jenny Pham
Senior Manager Communications: Edi Borrelli
Senior Director, Global Brand Marketing Operations & Creative Shoot Production: John van Tuyll
Senior Shoot and Production Manager: Justin Townsend   

Johannes Leonardo
Chief Creative Officer: Jan Jacobs
Chief Creative Officer: Leo Premutico
Creative Director, Partner: Ferdinando Verderi
Creative Director: Wesley Phelan
Creative Director: Matthew Edwards
Copywriter: Jeph Burton
Art Director: Hunter Hampton
Head of Integrated Production: Dana May
Executive Producer:  Maria Perez
Senior Producer (Film): Tina Diep
Producer (Print): Adam Gong
Associate Producer (Film): Alexandra Olivo
Group Account Director: Sam McCallum
Account Director: Dominique Dalton
Account Supervisor: Gulru Soylu
Account Supervisor: Kat Pryor
Account Executive: Adriana Mariella
Head of Strategy: Mark Aronson
Strategist: Miné Cakmak
Director of Business Affairs: Marta Stajek
Senior Business Affairs Manager: Ann Marie Turbitt   

Film Production Company: RSA Films
Director: Terence Neale
Director of Photography: Alexis Zabe
Stylist: Richard De Jager
Stylist: Gabby De Gersigny
Executive Producer: Jules Daly
Executive Producer: Paul Kawasaki
Producer: Julie Sawyer
Producer: Rozanne Rocha-Gray   

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