In late July, German sportswear giant Adidas Originals launched its collaboration with Hong Kong-born, Shenzhen-based artist Dorothy Tang (邓卓越), which includes a large-scale installation called the “Trefoil Panda Bus Stop” (三叶草熊猫车站) and a collection featuring Tang’s panda drawings. The first stop of the display was the Adidas flagship store in Taikoo Li Chengdu, in Sichuan Province, Southwest China, known as the home of the pandas.
The installation, as the title suggests, features four life-sized panda statues, all dressed in Adidas Originals tracksuits and t-shirts with the iconic three stripes. The pandas strike various poses, from holding a bouquet to sitting on a bench, and even breakdancing at the bus stop. A one-storey high statue is also included. It stands just in front of the bus stop, on top of a blue shoebox, donning the viral red “中国” (Zhongguo, China) tracksuit. The size difference and the distance between the large panda and the bus stop are reminiscent of the iconic bus stop scene from the film My Neighbour Totoro (1988).
Of course, the offline “check-in” (打卡) spot was part of the campaign for the collaborative collection between Adidas Originals and Dorothy Tang. From Panda graphic t-shirts to hats and patches, the collection brings Tang’s anthropomorphic panda into all sorts of garments and accessories. It was first launched in Chengdu and, as of 3 August, has been made available nationwide.
Similarly, as part of the promotion, the installation is also set to travel across China later this year. Adidas and Adidas Originals have been doubling down on creating localised collections, from the aforementioned “zhongguo” tracksuit to the Tsinghua University collaboration. The brand recently launched its 2025 A.C.E intern programme focused on Chinese aesthetics, further leveraging the new wave of “guochao” (国潮, “China trend”).
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