As we await the next drop from A Ma Maniére and Nike’s “While You Were Sleeping” collection, AMM’s parent company The Whitaker Group has unveiled a new project involving adidas and TWG’s flagship art gallery 38a.
The Whitaker Group’s 38a is dedicated to creating spaces for Black, Brown, and minority creators, providing a platform for underrepresented voices in the arts. After opening its first location in Pittsburgh in 2021, 38a is now expanding with the opening of a second space in Charlotte, NC. The new art gallery is located inside of The Collective on Tuckaseegee, The Whitaker Group’s “community-driven complex” that also houses APB Charlotte and the first privately held, Black-owned, publicly accessible non-DIY skatepark in the United States.
The gallery’s Charlotte location will open on November 15th group exhibition titled “Queens & Kings: A Tale of Two Cities.” It features 10 compelling works from local photographers Bryant Lindsay, Khadija Sugulle, and Mike Jones, each capturing the essence of the city through their unique lens.
To celebrate the opening, 38a has partnered with adidas to create the “Queens & Kings” Superstar. The F&F sneaker is available exclusively through seeding, gifted to global creators, artists, and innovators who embody the ethos of 38a and its mission to spotlight underserved artists worldwide. It features cracked white details, chunky striped laces, “Q” and “K” branding on the heels, and “To The Queens + Kings” messaging on the inside of the tongues. adidas is re-energizing the Superstar franchise in 2025, and Queens & Kings leads the narrative with this collaboration.
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The “Queens & Kings” exhibition will run from November 15th through December 6th, before moving to 38a’s Pittsburgh location for a run from December 13th to December 30th. The Pittsburgh exhibition will feature the works of local artists and photographers
Tyler Calpin, Sager McDill, and Evangeline Mensah-Agyekum.
“This exhibit is a celebration of resilience and creativity that exists within our communities and a means to give more power to these creatives who are not given the same access in the art world,” said Sean Beauford, co-curator of the exhibit. “We’re creating a space that authentically reflects the richness and diversity of experiences within our own cities, from our own vantage point.”
Check out the 38a x adidas Superstar “Queens & Kings” and the featured artists from the Charlotte exhibition in the campaign images below. For more info about 38a, visit their website here.
38a x adidas Superstar “Queens & Kings”
Release Date: F&F
