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MI ADIDAS*

Neely Air | Roland TR-808: Disturb the Peace*
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challenge

When given the opportunity to develop our custom concept/prototype Mi Adidas*, Neely & Daughters Chief Creative Officer Margo Neely popped and locked at the chance to create the TR-808* — inspired by the famous Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, break dance culture, and “808” (police code for “disturbing the peace.”) Not only do these kicks look fierce, but brace yourself: They actually. make. beats. The shoes are equipped with volume control and six different pre-programmed settings so you can recreate your favorite scenes from Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo in your mom and dad’s kitchen on a broke down cardboard box from Costco.

creator

Margo Neely

what we did

  • Vision + Strategy
  • Art Direction
  • Design
  • Prototype

why it mattered

Though they have yet to hit the production line (the “Just for Kicks” creative challenge – pun intended – was custom design and prototype concept only*), the shoes won major accolades and reached an audience of over six billion around the globe. The Mi Adidas Neely Air | Roland TR-808* design blew up social media when it dropped, and continues to do so today with its sleek, innovative design and fresh concept.

global audience metrics for the Neely Air Mi Adidas TR-808*

0 BILLION
Online Readership
0 MILLION
Coverage Views
0 MILLION
Est. Social Media

Flattering Words From
Distinguished Professionals

  • In what could be the most fucking cool shit I’ve ever seen, a new sneaker design which incorporates the iconic black, red, orange and yellow 808 design has been unveiled. Not only that, but apparently the sneakers also function as a drum machine. Swish.

    Vice
    Vice
  • The machine even survives purely as a design object: The row of red, orange, yellow and white buttons across its front panel, representing a bar of music as 16 programmable "steps," has inspired a conceptual Adidas sneaker that would sell by the boatload if it were real.

    NPR Music
    NPR Music
  • Adidas has style. Wes Anderson has even more style... Meanwhile, we’re still waiting for them to dust off the TR-808 inspired kicks.

    Happy Mag
    Happy Mag
  • Taking its design cues from the legendary TR-808 drum machine, the New York based digital engineers Neely and Daughters dreamed up this prototype. On top of its impeccable styling, the sneaker features tempo control, a start/stop button, speakers, USB port, wi-fi, and bluetooth built-in... Talk about an incredible innovation!

    Gizmodo Japan
    Gizmodo Japan
  • The QUARTZ Obsession: a daily digression into the most fascinating corners of the global economy. September 22, 2017: Viral Wonders | A Fitting Tribute: The The TR-808 drum machine and the TR-808 prototype sneaker by Neely & Daughters.

    QUARTZ
    QUARTZ
  • Margo and her firm have been inundated with requests and offers from all sorts of top brands in the electronic music industry. And now Margo and her team are hard at work on a “revolutionary product” that, she claims, will surpass the TR-808 trainers in every conceivable way. There’s talk of lifestyle, wearables and game-changing, which all sounds very exciting. If any of Margo’s enthusiasm and self-belief could ever materialise as a product then I think it’s going to be awesome.

    Gearnews
    Gearnews
  • The Neely Air TR-808 customs: The #1 Most Popular story of 2017. By far this scoop on the concept Adidas Roland TR-808 shoes grabbed our attention and yours more than any other story. The best thing: these shoes went viral afterwards and the story isn’t over yet…

    Ask Audio
    Ask Audio

Awards and Honors

neely-ask-audio-awards
"#1 Story of 2017"AskAudio
neely-mixdown-awards
"Top 10 Unconventional Products 2017"Mixdown
neely-quartz-awards
"Viral Wonders"Quartz | Obsession
neely-disruptor-awards
"A Fitting Tribute"The Disruptor Awards Blog
neely-dj-mag-awards
"Trends 2018"DJ Mag España
neely-gouden-kabouter-awards
"Most Innovative Creative Campaign"Gouden Kabouter Nominee 2018

Hear the authentic Roland TR-808 sounds produced by Soundtrack Loops for the Neely Air Custom Concept

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* The Neely Air mi adidas | Roland TR-808 custom concept was not solicited by and is not endorsed by Roland Corporation or adidas. It is purely an artistic concept.

Renegade Creatives | Revolutionary Content

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