It’s a quiet Friday around 1:30pm. The streets of Brooklyn are quiet, the air is crisp, and warmth faintly emanates from the sun. The tip of the Empire State Building peeks out from behind layers of concrete walls, many with vibrant street art and murals blooming with color. We pass by doors after doors of warehouses where workers busily load and unload trucks. Finally, we arrive at a brick building with a short staircase leading to a single door.
Established in 2016, the adidas Brooklyn Creator Farm is a hidden studio in the Greenpoint neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY. On the other side of what seems like just another warehouse is a space in which designers from all backgrounds brainstorm, ideate, and create products that will become an integral part of the future of the adidas brand. What these designers work on every day won’t be seen by the public eye for another two, three, or even up to seven years in the future.
Every inch of wall is covered in sketches, prototype designs, inspiration boards, books, and shelves of fabric and thread. The space is divided into a Maker Lab with the technology and materials for creating any type of product, from sneakers to unique textiles for apparel. Creators come here from around the world to collaborate and produce designs that are shaped by the stories of their different cultures and backgrounds. The focus of the lab goes beyond the appearance of the shoes and apparel they create; it places a deeper emphasis on the technical side design by bringing in athletes and other professionals who test the generated designs. One of the benefits of such an environment, noted an anonymous designer, is that not only can every creator gain inspiration from each other, but they can also see and be involved in every step of the design process, from the beginning of the creative direction to the final look of the product. Since the Farm opened in 2016, the first products created at the Farm won’t be released until later this year.
One of the foundational principles on which the Farm is built is the idea of “creating culture.” The driving forces of their designs are new technologies and potential upcoming trends. This is what sets apart fast fashion and product design for a brand such as adidas from other types of design; a longer design process yields more developing time, which requires designers and creators to design not based on the present but the future. One of the goals that the creators have been working towards is designing further environmentally conscious products and designs through the use of more sustainable materials. Their vision toward the future is based on how the products would be used and worn by consumers along with the overall impact the product would have on the planet.
A common aspect of the Farm that was brought up by multiple designers was the interdisciplinary nature of the space and the community it fosters. No matter what you study or your previous design experience, there is always something you can bring to the table––especially at a place like the Creator Farm where its mission is built on the diversity of ideas and individuals that enter the space.
To break down barriers and make opportunities available to young designers, adidas developed S.E.E.D., the School for Experiential Education in Design, with Pensole Design Academy to welcome rising talent in the footwear industry. Through the program, their inaugural class of six women have a space to create and collaborate within a supportive community.
Within the larger adidas brand, a collaborative relationship between the Brooklyn Farm and other adidas product development locations, such as in Portland and Germany, allows designers to rotate at different studios as well as work with other studios from afar. Being exposed to new perspectives and ideas is essential to continuously grow as a designer, and that is exactly what the Creator Farm does, bringing creators together to learn, grow, and design the future.
