Style File: Utility factor - Industrial Design

Industrial designer Tom Dixon has put the funk into multi-functional with a capsule collection for Adidas, says Rebecca Gonsalves

Once radical, collaborations between fashion designers and sportswear brands have become almost commonplace. Indeed Adidas works with Yohji Yamamoto, Raf Simons, Stella McCartney, Jeremy Scott and Rick Owens. So, when it was searching for the latest name to add to the hall of fame, it cast the net a little wider, landing industrial designer Tom Dixon.

The collection comprises unisex, utilitarian pieces designed to enable a week away from home with just one suitcase, designed by Dixon, and the clothes it contains.

“I wanted to use Adidas’s expertise to resolve some inconvenient experiences I’ve had,” explains Dixon. “The long nylon parka that can be used as a sleeping bag came from a sad experience I had in once in Milan when I couldn’t find a place to stay and had to sleep in the park. I made items that willl fit right in to the busy world of a modern jetsetter. They are compact, fashionable and fully functional.” Another exceptional piece is an overall that can convert to a coat, jacket, trousers, skirt or shorts – bringing new meaning to the onesie.

While function and form are paramount, it’s the subtle details that excite the designer: “The arm lengths on the shirt jacket and the trouser legs can be cut to get the correct length – no sewing needed.”

Adidas Number 6, 6 Newburgh Street, London W1