A true original, American designer Jeremy Scott is one of our faves. Known for his eccentric method of design, he’s the man who put the hamburger on a body-con dress, slapped Mickey Mouse on an oversized t-shirt and offered people the chance to wear one-legged trousers. And made it look cool. Usually showcasing his work on the runways of Paris, this season he made it over to London to help celebrate 25 years of London Fashion Week and also launch his Jeremy Scott ‘pop up store’ at adidas’ exclusive No.6 Newburgh Street store that holds his Autumn/Winter collection for adidas Originals By Originals. Created for both boys and girls, Zainab Jama caught up with the fun-loving LA resident in London town to talk hip hop, streetwear and adidas.

How did you get together with adidas?

The first thing I did for adidas Originals was a collection based on the New York pop artist Keith Haring. For that I did a classic adidas zip tracksuit and hi-top sneakers that were covered in Keith’s drawing for the adicolor range. I had such a blast doing that, that when they asked me to come be a part of their ObyO range and do my own thing, I was  thrilled.

What was the inspiration for your Autumn/Winter collection for ObyO?

I was watching all these programs on Africa and I’ve always been inspired by tribes. All these different amazing ways people would make clothes out of what they’d find. They’d then mix it with adidas Sportswear and things that were sent to them from Europe, so it was common that you’d have a beaded sarong, traditional print dress, and then some adidas like tank-top on top in this weird juxtaposition. I think I was looking more toward African prints for this collection and got to thinking about great African animals – leopards, tigers and giraffes – and used their prints as a base for the collection.

It’s no secret that you’re a hip hop fan; what artists do you rate at the moment?

Well we can say Kanye is definitely a character! I love all of his music and he’s been really supportive of me. Jay-Z is having a really good year as far as I’m aware, and ,you know, all the classics; Dre, NWA, Tupac (I live in Los Angeles), but I have love for Biggie too. adidas is steeped in a lot of music history too, so I don’t even need to mention RUN DMC who were a huge influence on me. It’s great how it can all come full circle and I’m working for a brand that I share similar interests with.

What other music are you listening to at the moment?

I try and listen to everything; I know everyone must say that. But I love hip hop as much as I love pop and I’ve been lucky enough to work with a lot of the guys I listen to; Kanye, Lady GaGa, Björk, Beyoncé, Madonna, Britney, Santigold… I’m a huge fan of all those guys. It’s always so much fun to dress them, see them at my shows and I’m always humbled that they like my collections. When I hear their music come on in the studio or at home, I always smile, it’s really nice to know they’re fans of what I do.

How does your ObyO collection for adidas differ from your mainline?

I really love pop culture; you can see that in my collections. Art, TV, music, celebrities, cartoons… we’re surrounded by it all day long and it’s fun to put it into my collections. For adidas they give me so much creative freedom, that I can do what I do but for a wider audience.

Tell us about the Jeremy Scott Wings sneaker, everyone loves them.

I think it’s kinda crazy how well this shoe has done! I thought the wings would just be a bit of fun, but people have taken to it really well. Initially I wanted to make the wings permanent, but you know people like options, so it can come off. For the Autumn/Winter season I’ve done about ten sneakers altogether; a couple have a prints, some have three tongues, [Check Kano wearing them in his new Rock N Roller vid], one looks like a moonboot! I just like to have fun with it. This season the Jeremy Scott Wings are in sliver.

What would you say is the must-have piece from this collection?

I don’t know how to answer that! I love it all, but I have to say the blue sweater dress with the world map with Africa in the centre is a fave of mine. But really I’m proud of the whole collection.

What can expect from you over the next few months?

Well I got my debut show in London to celebrate 25 years of London Fashion Week, then I gotta go back to LA and work on my collection for next Autumn/Winter, which is a scary thought. For adidas, we’re already working on the third collection and in-between I’m going to try find some time to chill out. But that’s not to say I’m not super-grateful for everything. I love what I do…

For more on Jeremy Scott for adidas Originals By Originals, go toadidas.com/originals

Tags: adidas, Interviews, Jermey Scott