From hummus pajamas to Umm Kalthoum t-shirts, items embracing Arab culture have become pretty accessible online. But would you have ever guessed Adidas to join in on the trend?
This month, Adidas revealed its new VRCT jacket, a contemporary designed garment worn both before and after training. The jacket features a customizable patch with the letter A on it by default. But, to make things more interesting for Arabs, the sportswear manufacturer made an exclusive patch for the Middle East market. Can you guess what it says?
The famous Arabic word "Yalla," a commonly used word to "tell someone to hurry or to get going." It's similar to "come on" and "hurry up."
The badge comes in both the English and Arabic language.
It is now available for purchase in Adidas stores across the GCC all thanks to a collaboration with Emirati athlete and influencer Walid Yari.
The new VRCT jacket badges were promoted in a Dubai-based photoshoot featuring Yari alongside other athletes including mountaineer Tima Deryam, body positive activist Lu D'Souza, and TV presenter Enjy Kiwan. Each of them represented their own customized badge in the photoshoot as part of the jacket's promotional campaign.
A glance at the global patches
The VRCT collection is designed to "fuel creativity and self-expression in sport."
There are different patches that go with the jacket including the classic "A" team patch.
Other badges were selected by a few of Adidas' leading creators, including basketball player James Harden who picked the word "FAMILY", cyclist Denise Schindler who came up with the "I’MPERFECT" patch, and competitive swimmer Ning Zetao who chose the word "BRAVE."
According to Harpers Bazaar Arabia, "each athlete worked in collaboration with Adidas to create a patch that best represents their own personal story."