Beyoncé Teases Adidas Collaboration in Epic Fashion

Earlier this month, Beyoncé signed a deal with Adidas, in a move that the brand called an “iconic partnership” (calm down, Adidas copywriter). The partnership will include the creation of athletic and lifestyle products, along with the relaunch of Ivy Park, which Beyoncé new owns in full after purchasing the brand from TopShop. And now she’s given us a taste.

Bey took to Instagram to share images of a bunch of Adidas shoes, though it’s unclear if any are from her upcoming line. In one photo, she lounges atop rows and rows of sneakers, clad in a red Adidas bodysuit (she posted another iteration where she stands against a glass window, rows of palm trees below). There are just so many shoes, so many styles. Fans are thrilled. In the words of Megan Thee Stallion, “heart eyes emoji.”

But while sneakerheads may be parsing over the shoe options, the most exciting thing Beyoncé posted was a selfie video, placed in between the two other shots, as one has to keep the grid interesting. Bey shot herself while getting her hair done, a video zooming in and out (a very Solange move!). It’s beautiful, and also sort of messy. In fact, all of the new Adidas pictures are less than perfect: clearly shot on an iPhone, without much editing, if there’s any at all.

Beyoncé seems to be embracing the Balenciaga, downtown, Gen Z-esque Instagram aesthetic, in which purposeful sloppiness and spontaneity are valued above clean pictures of brightly colored walls and avocado toast. Writing for The Atlantic, Internet culture reporter Taylor Lorenz declared that the “Instagram aesthetic is over.” She is correct!

“Fast-rising young influencers… all reject the notion of a curated feed in favor of a messier and more unfiltered vibe,” she wrote. “While Millennial influencers hauled DSLR cameras to the beach and mastered photo editing to get the perfect shot, the generation younger than they are largely post directly from their mobile phones.”

Queen Bey: always ahead of the curve