Adidas Originals has launched its Spring 2026 Superstar campaign, featuring Samuel L. Jackson navigating a surreal 'Hotel Superstar' in search of his sneakers. The cinematic spot, directed by Thibaut Grevet, includes celebrities like Kendall Jenner, JENNIE, Lamine Yamal, Baby Keem, James Harden, Tyshawn Jones, and Olivia Dean. The campaign highlights the shoe's enduring cultural legacy across music, fashion, sport, and art.
The adidas Superstar, a silhouette with over 50 years of history, continues to influence culture through locker rooms, soundstages, and sidewalks. In the latest campaign, titled 'The Original Icon,' Samuel L. Jackson returns as the cultural narrator, wandering through a fictional 'Hotel Superstar' that evokes the surreal aesthetics of films like Stanley Kubrick's The Shining and David Lynch's Eraserhead. Scored by Herbie Hancock's 'Watermelon Man' from the album Head Hunters, the video depicts Jackson barefoot and puzzled in endless corridors, encountering a diverse cast of icons.
Kendall Jenner appears in a dreamlike stop-motion sequence, while Tyshawn Jones ollies over Jackson on a skateboard. Baby Keem marches hypnotically toward his Superstars, crossing paths with James Harden in the hallway. JENNIE and Jackson seem caught in a time loop, and Lamine Yamal's voice echoes calling for 'Samuel!' As Jackson exclaims, 'Where are my f&*%ing Superstars!' and later, 'Found the motherfu&%#ers!' upon discovering them, the narrative underscores the shoe's timeless bond. Jackson muses, 'Most folks make moments…but some make movements,' and 'Some prints show you where they’ve been, but these show us where we’ve always been going.'
This campaign builds on previous efforts like 'CLOCKS' and 'PYRAMIDS,' also directed by Grevet and starring Jackson, which featured Missy Elliott, Anthony Edwards, GloRilla, Mark Gonzales, Teezo Touchdown, and Gabbriette. Annie Barrett, Vice President of Marketing at adidas Originals, stated, 'The campaign celebrates the next era of the Superstar through both timeless design and cultural relevance. Superstars never go away, they are timeless and iconic. This season, we continue to show the relevance of this sneaker across music, fashion, sport, and art. The new campaign pushes the bounds of reality with unexpected twists.'
The Spring 2026 collection refreshes the Superstar with a black-and-white base accented by bold red. Men's pieces include looser-fitting tracksuits with red, black, and white color blocking on the 3-Stripes, Tyshawn denim shorts, neutral tees, and jacquard jerseys, emphasizing a push into denim. Women's offerings reimagine the Superstar Tracktop, such as the Equipment Blocking Red Jacket worn by Jenner, along with faux leather and crochet iterations for everyday styling beyond sport.