In partnership with adidas Originals

There’s a lot you can tell by a silhouette. The curves, lines and details that you think go unnoticed, but ultimately make up and define one from the rest. Take the adidas Originals Adistar Control 5 sneaker, which has defied trends since the mid-2000s. As Y2K continues its long-running return, it only makes sense that this sneaker would come back into the fold too – but with a twist. Once associated with athleisure, its reissue takes your favourite sports sneaker to one you'll want to take to the streets.

adidas Originals celebrated the return of the the Adistar Control 5 with a Control Room activation in Sydney, inviting creative minds to immerse themselves in the sneaker and interpret it through their own lens. After all, finding inspiration for your next idea doesn’t always mean starting from scratch. Sometimes, it means returning to where it all started.

It’s an concept Australian artist Boy Soda knows well, and one that sits naturally within his own creative practice.

“I think our own archives influence where we choose to push forward and what we choose to leave behind in our ideas and designs,” he tells RUSSH. “I think that self-awareness is super important to keeping your finger on the pulse due to the cyclic and semi-predictable nature of ideas and spaces that are always exiting and re-entering the cultural and creative scenes.”

That cultural and creative scene is exactly what adidas Originals crafted in Sydney. Inside, the effervescent energy was almost tangible. Guests entered beneath an adidas logo projected across the roller doors, into a space that could easily have doubled as the covert location of a Fashion Week after-party. Familiar faces from Sydney’s creative community filled the room, each one contributing their own unique je ne sais quoi to the space. Meanwhile, an Adistar Control 5 installation anchored the DJ booth at its centre. It felt fitting: the sneaker has always been as much about self-expression as performance.

Boy Soda describes the relationship between his personal style and sound as “parallel”. “Both are intrinsically related to how well I have come to know myself," he says. "The process of which has been evident in past fits that shall not see the light of day again.”

Of course, it was impossible to ignore the sneaker everyone was wearing. With a focus on daily comfort, streetwear versatility and casual wearability, the Adistar Control 5’s new context is less about dictating how it should be worn and more about leaving room for interpretation. For Boy Soda, those qualities are everything when considering what he wears – or even how he approaches everyday life, whatever that might look like. “Whether that be modular furniture or clothing items, plugins with intuitive interfaces or the way I communicate with people and the world – I am always looking for comfort and functionality, so the Control 5s are perfect.”

And then there’s the question of style itself. “I think we’re in a trend of individualism which feels like a communal return to self that we’ve all agreed to do,” he says. “I love seeing people wear more of themselves on their sleeve.” It feels seamless for the Adistar Control 5’s latest iteration. Metallic overlays meet breathable mesh uppers across solid and multicoloured iterations, a sneaker once grounded firmly in performance now finding itself just as naturally alongside streetwear and casual tailoring.

After immersing themselves in the activation, guests were invited to become part of the night’s visual narrative, captured by backstage photographer Sonny V. The portraits appeared across a custom screen installation, forming an evolving gallery of faces, fashion and movement. It was a fitting encapsulation of what the night was really celebrating: personal style and the freedom to interpret something in your own way.

And if a sneaker can say something about the person wearing it, perhaps creative freedom is about allowing it to say something different every time. Boy Soda puts it best: “The ability to approach things with a completely open mind that knows anything is possible. Feeling like I can pivot at any given moment is important and true creative freedom. It looks like minimal cooks in the kitchen and unwavering self-belief.”