Built in Lagos: waf. and the Superstar ADV

The Superstar has travelled from basketball courts to hip-hop and skateboarding. Its latest chapter begins in Lagos, with a community that has spent fourteen years building a scene of its own.

Skateboarding has long been part of the culture, and it does not usually start with a sneaker collaboration. It starts with people finding each other, making room to skate, and showing up until a scene takes shape. The sneakers are part of it too, worn by the people who keep the culture going.

In Lagos, waf. has spent fourteen years doing just that. Founded in 2012 by Jomi Marcus-Bello, Nifemi Marcus-Bello and KC Obijiaku, the organisation has helped build the city’s skateboarding scene through community programming, retail, fashion and music. Its work has grown from creating a meeting point for skaters into building the infrastructure needed for the culture to develop, including a skatepark at Freedom Park, which opened in 2024 on the site of a former colonial prison.

The Superstar ADV brings that history into a global release. For waf., it is an opportunity to take a culture developed locally to an international audience. For adidas Originals, it adds another chapter to a silhouette whose meaning has evolved through the communities that have adopted it.

First introduced in 1970 as a basketball shoe, the Superstar eventually moved beyond the court into hip-hop, streetwear and skateboarding. Its distinctive shell toe and low-profile design became familiar across generations, while the people wearing it continued to give it new meanings. The ADV builds on that history, bringing the silhouette into conversation with a skate community that has spent years developing its own identity in Lagos.

The design draws directly from the city. A dusty grey upper takes inspiration from Lagos Island, breathable side panels respond to the local climate, and a translucent pink outsole evokes the changing colours of the Lagos horizon. These details give the sneaker a distinct sense of place while retaining the recognisable form of the Superstar.

Waf. is part of a wider skateboarding community in Lagos that continues to grow through the work of people creating spaces for more skaters to participate. Dencity, founded by Blessing Ewona, is one such initiative, building community around women and queer skaters. Together, different efforts across the scene are helping establish skateboarding as more than a sport, creating spaces for participation, expression and belonging.

The adidas Originals x waf. Superstar ADV was released worldwide on October 12, 2026, at $110. The launch begins at the waf. flagship in Lagos at 9:00 a.m. WAT, with availability through adidas retail and e-commerce channels globally.