Adidas is finally releasing its destined Bob Marley collaboration after the release of the late legend’s hugely successful biopic. According to Complex, the shoe brand is dropping off a special edition of their classic SL 72 in collaboration with Bob Marley’s estate as part of their summer lineup.
Bob Marley, who was perhaps the most famous unofficial ambassador for the brand, was often captured wearing the three stripes long before the turn of 72 when the Trefoil logo was first introduced. While Adidas has released footwear featuring Marley adjacent brands in the past, this marks their first official collaboration with the reggae icon dubbed Bob Marley x Adidas SL 72.
Marley was often spotted sporting this particular retro model of the Adidas line, especially during his recreational football (soccer) games, which makes this particular collaboration even more felicitous. The Bob Marley X Adidas SL 72 design reportedly features Marley’s name and image on the tongue, along with his signature embossed in gold on the heel. Around the sole, it also bears his signature red, gold, and green colors to give the shoe a true Marley essence.
While the brand has not yet officially announced the new collab, a grandchild of the late Bob Marley, Zuri Marley, who is the daughter of Ziggy Marley and Jamaican TV and film producer Carleene Samuels, could not wait to post the mint design on her TikTok. The 28-year-old showed off her pre-release Bob Marley x Adidas SL 72 alongside the caption, “The Adidas Bob Marley SL72 is so sick,” she wrote in part.
The Bob Marley version of the SL 72 is slated to be released this summer, and fans are already lining up to get their pair. The recently premiered biopic Bob Marley: One Love has spurred a renewed interest in the late reggae icon, making this a unique time and most auspicious moment for Adidas to pay homage to the man who, in many ways (and somewhat inadvertently) offered free ambassadorship when he was frequently draped in their apparel and donned their footwear.
Evidently a genuine fan of the brand, Marley may not have anticipated it during his time here, but this collaboration was truly meant to be.