‘We are not trying to look good—we are trying to be good,’ Chronixx, the 24-year-old Jamaican reggae singer, tells Vogue when unveiling Adidas’s new Spring 2017 Spezial collection.
It’s influenced by Bob Marley, said Gary Aspden, a long-time Adidas fanatic from the UK, who curates the line.
‘I am a huge fan of Bob Marley (I don’t trust anyone who isn’t), and it was him and his peers who were the first people as far as I am aware to adopt head-to-toe sportswear as a look off the field, way before hip-hop and rappers took on that look.’
‘Within any tradition, innovation is always happening,’ Chronixx explains in the video. It’s a reference to Adidas’s deep dive into its archive: the line features reworked and retro sneakers, tracksuits, parkas and soccer shirts.
Chronixx is part of a new generation of reggae artists, who are taking on the mantle of reggae icons, but are speaking to a new audience about their concerns.
And a big part of that new audience is in Kenya. ‘Kenya is a very special place for reggae and dancehall music,’ he told a press conference in Nairobi a couple of years ago. ‘The acceptance, support and appreciation for my music by my fans here is very humbling.’
