Brand Spotlight: Adidem Asterisks
What’s in a name? “Ad Idem” is the latin word for consensus or meeting of the minds. An apt moniker for a brand started by 3 lifelong friends, whose relationships bloomed from a mutual appreciation for the rich culture of their home city of Toronto. Rap music, basketball, DJ culture - these topics already see natural matriculation into the world of fashion and vice versa. Adidem Asterisks was conceived as a vehicle to fill this white space for their native city.
“We wanted to provide the city of Toronto with what we believe has been missing in regards to clothing.”
Nicko Nuamah, Adidem Asterisks founder
Beholden to the mantra, “do it in the dark”, the three spent time traveling incognito to various fashion weeks in Paris, NYC, London, and Italy, sneaking into designer showings and soaking up the environment. By placing themselves in the right places at the right times, Adidem looked to manifest global relationships and find inspirations to tap for their future work.
The brand, as it stands now, is a rearview reminiscence of early 2000’s style, filtered through a 2020 lens. Staple pieces are reimagined within various modern contexts, as the brand applies its conceptual ideas to familiar silhouettes. Their latest collection serves as a testament to that process, as they pay homage to their hometown its rich subcultures.
Sound Like It Looks, the brand’s latest conceptual collection, channels their love of music through the medium of clothing. Here, Toronto’s unique DJ culture finds itself hoisted onto a pedestal - these are clothes that highlight the denizens of the city’s music world. Those familiar with the current NYC fashion zeitgeist may draw similarities between Aime Leon Dore, however, Adidem’s style skews heavily toward sports and activewear. This isn’t to say they’ve pulled any punches in the name of quality - RiRi zips, duck down, and 400 GSM cotton fleece find their way into these made-in-Canada pieces.
A heavy emphasis on knitwear and outerwear act as an ode to Toronto’s harsh winters and act as a focal point for the rest of the collection. Traveling to and from a DJ set, or even trekking out in nature, in negative temperatures is suddenly much more enticing when wearing one of Adidem’s down jackets/vests, sporting breathable nylon shells and 800 fill duck down.
In a never-ending pursuit of both comfort and style, tracksuits and sweatsuits have historically fit snugly within a DJ or hip hop star’s wardrobe, as moguls including Pharrell and ASAP Rocky have proven to us over the years. Adidem services this wardrobe space well - a vast selection of earthen colors paint these precisely tailored pieces, allowing the wearer to remain cozy AND active.
For nights out, traveling, or simply lounging around the home, Adidem comes through with a two-piece button down, channeling both luxury and recovery. This loungewear gets the 300GSM cotton jacquard knit treatment for a maximum lux factor.
The collection also features the brand’s first collaboration with New Era, as the mainstay 59FIFTY hat receives a take on the brand’s logo that harkens to staple sports franchises like the NY Yankees or LA Dodgers. The Puffin Bird, Adidem’s new mascot, nests on the side.