Adidas Taps Filipino Artist For New “Manila Hoops” Tee Designs

Anyone would recognize the name as well as the works of muralist and illustrator Jappy Agoncillo. And further strengthening his portfolio is a new collaboration that will excite not just art lovers, but also lovers of fashion, basketball, and the ‘90s nostalgia.

Adidas has recently launched their partnership with Jappy for the new tee collection called “Manila Hoops”. An exclusive release for the adidas Brand Center City Shop, the pieces fronts Filipinos’ love for basketball—and the memories that come in its package.

“The design process was really digging deep into my own experiences of being a Filipino, being a basketball player, and being a kid,” Jappy tells Metro.Style in an exclusive interview. “I wanted to feel trendy but nostalgic. And I want people to look at this and feel, ‘That was me. We used to do this. That was something we did as kids’. And I think we achieved that.”

Thus, the wonderful result of his visualized trip down the memory lane, available in two designs. Highlighted on the designs are some of our favorite Filipino street food, like taho, isaw, betamax, and kwek-kwek. Key landmarks also made appearances on the designs, such as the Manila City Skyline, iconic City Hall, and the Roxas Boulevard.

The men’s design, available in black, dark blue, and red colorways, features a basketball player on the move, while balancing a cup of taho on his head. The women’s design, on the other hand, features the diverse women of Manila and is available in white and black colorways.

Adidas Philippines' Brand Communications & Sports Marketing Manager JD Cortez takes delight in having Jappy for this project. After the success of their previous collaborations with creatives Quiccs and Egg Fiasco, this latest joint effort continues to promote the brand’s goal of putting our artists’ on an international scale. 

“We always patronize hyper local initiatives. We believe in Jappy’s craft in the same way that we believed in our previous local artists partners,” JD shares. “This collaboration is really to empower through our platform—local artists with global talent through their passions. Us Filipinos showing our support to our fellow kababayans, so this really highlights our sense of belongingness.”

Jappy further details his inspiration behind the designs. “It’s great to have a platform to allow us Filipino artists to take up space on a global stage,” he explains. “It’s something that has been on the rise right now, so I think it's very important to show that I’m Filipino, I’m not ashamed of it, and this is how I experienced our culture.”

The artist also reveals that his work with adidas doesn’t stop here. “It’s an introduction to a much larger partnership which I'm very excited for,” he teases.

The “Manila Hoops” tee collection is available exclusively at the adidas Brand Center in Glorietta in very limited quantities—so better get your hands on these asap!

Photo Courtesy of Adidas Philippines