JENNIE, G Star and Fikile Sokhulu are giving everyday fashion a major makeover.
Picture : Supplied
Forget predictable collaborations; ballet, hardware and feminine silhouettes are giving everyday fashion a fresh new attitude.
JENNIE x adidas Originals
BlackPink‘s JENNIE is putting her own stamp on one of sportswear’s most recognisable names.
After years as an adidas ambassador, the global star has stepped into the role of co-designer for her first adidas Originals by JENNIE collection, and ballet is at the heart of the transformation.
Called Functional Grace, the FW26 collection takes the softness, discipline and elegance of ballet and throws it into a futuristic sportswear wardrobe.
The standout is the SUPERSTAR SQ BALLET, a striking reworking of the classic Superstar inspired by the ballet pointe shoe, which is the current shoe trend in flats and heels. Its squared toe, premium leather upper, soft lambskin lining and ribbon detailing give the familiar sneaker an entirely different personality.
But the collection does not stop at footwear.
Reworked track tops and pants sit alongside wrap skirts, knit wrap cardigans, sheer bodysuits, sheer leggings and polar fleece half-zip hoodies.
Then come the accessories. High-knit leg warmers and cut-out socks add the finishing touches to a look that feels part ballerina, part streetwear, and part science fiction.
Her vision extends into the campaign, where dancers appear to float through a surreal cosmic landscape in Cosmic Ballerina: Kinematics.
The collection is available at selected adidas stores, through retailers, as well as selected adidas concept stores.
G Star x TOMBOGO
If JENNIE makes sportswear softer, G Star and TOMBOGO are making denim tougher and more experimental.
The fourth edition of G Star’s THE DENIM series, THE DENIM 004, is designed by Tommy Bogo, founder of Los Angeles-based design and innovation studio TOMBOGO.
Its starting point was surprisingly simple. Bogo spotted someone wearing harness boots with buckle straps and wondered what would happen if that idea was translated into a pair of jeans.
A visit to the G Star archive pushed the concept further, bringing historical hardware and utilitarian silhouettes into the design. The result is denim with attitude. Straps and buckles secure the panels, concealed pockets sit beneath the outer layers, and metal hardware runs throughout the jeans.
A deliberate collision between TOMBOGO’s industrial design language and G Star’s utilitarian denim heritage.
THE DENIM 004 launches worldwide from September 2026 through G Star’s website and selected stores.
Fikile Sokhulu x Pick n Pay Clothing
Then there is Fikile Sokhulu, whose latest collaboration is taking designer fashion somewhere shoppers can actually reach for it.
Her Summer Neiture collection with Pick n Pay Clothing brings her signature femininity and craftsmanship into mainstream ready-to-wear.
Inspired by sunlight, open skies and nature, the collection uses expressive prints, feminine silhouettes and considered details to create pieces with a distinctly designer feel. For Sokhulu, it is another step in a career that began with the SAFW New Talent Search in 2018 and later reached international platforms, including Milan.
That’s what makes these collaborations interesting.
They are not simply famous names attached to fashion labels. Each collaborator changes the clothes themselves, whether through JENNIE’s ballet fantasy, TOMBOGO’s industrial denim, or Sokhulu’s feminine design language.
The result is fashion that feels familiar, but looks anything but ordinary.
