Looking to celebrate the upcoming collaboration between adidas Special and premium Italian casual wear brand C.P. Company, a huge mural of England and Manchester United left back Luke Shaw has been unveiled in the small Lancashire town of Darwen.
So, for those unaware, Darwen is the town that gave birth to professional football globally back in 1870. It also happens to be the hometown of Gary Aspden, designer and curator of adidas Spezial. Add to that the fact that it is also the chosen location for 'Cinquanta', a retrospective exhibition of C.P. Company's illustrious archive as part of the British Textile Biennial, and the town becomes something of a hub for the upcoming collaboration between adidas Spezial and the Italian label. And that’s why you’ll find a 40-foot-tall painting of Luke Shaw on the side of an iconic period building in its town centre. Got it?
The piece was commissioned and paid for by adidas, for whom defender Luke Shaw is a brand ambassador, and it was painted by Sheffield-based mural artist Peter Barber, taking around four days to complete. In the mural, Shaw wears the Haslingden jacket from the forthcoming C.P. Company x adidas Spezial collaboration – a two piece capsule which will get its exclusive global reveal at the exhibition. The collaboration between C.P. Company and adidas Spezial is one of a number of collaborations that have been created to celebrate C.P. Company's 50th anniversary.
The ‘Cinquanta’ exhibition is in association with Nightsafe - a local charity that tackles youth homelessness. The exhibition aims to raise funds for a new Nightsafe hostel in Darwen through exclusive t-shirts, posters and stickers alongside public donations. It also coincides with the biggest free admission music festival in the country - Darwen Live. The festival features a plethora of talent including headliners Shaun Ryder’s Black Grape, Hoosiers and home grown talent The Illicits.
Speaking of the mural, exhibition and collaboration, Gary Aspden said: “I’m really proud that we’ve been able to make this happen in Darwen and that it supports a cause that I am passionate about in Nightsafe. I am grateful that both C.P. Company and adidas have stepped up and had the vision to support a project like this in what is an economically deprived area.
“I sincerely believe that culture is a key ingredient for regeneration and the British Textile Biennial provides a great platform for that. Darwen Live has been crucial to kick starting the fantastic night time economy and music scene that Darwen has so am really pleased that this project can work alongside that. I look forward to seeing more projects that will benefit the town and its community in the not too distant future.”
The 'Cinquanta' exhibition opens to the public at noon on Friday and reservations to view it can be made through www.cpcompany.com
