terrace culture reimagined

At the crossroads of nostalgia and newness, END. and adidas have unveiled the Grass Roots capsule — a collection that feels both like a hometown anthem and a modern-day manifesto. The partnership thrives on shared values: an appreciation of community, cultural memory, and craft. The centerpiece of the drop is the Gazelle Indoor Pro, a terrace classic reborn under END.’s refined direction. Dressed in black, white, and teal, it honors the hues of the retailer’s Newcastle roots, while its form bridges decades of football terraces and contemporary streetwear minimalism.

The mixture lands within a lineage of terrace-inspired footwear that has recently resurged across Europe. As the world of sneakers continues to orbit futuristic silhouettes and knitted technologies, the Gazelle stands apart—anchored in simplicity, tactility, and heritage. END.’s take on the model is not just a colorway; it’s a cultural echo of local pride and design maturity.

the gazelle indoor pro — heritage in motion

The Gazelle has long symbolized the understated cool of the football terraces — beloved from Merseyside to Munich, from late-night pubs to morning matches. For this edition, END. opts for subtle evolution over radical redesign.

A breathable mesh upper ensures comfort while nodding to late-’70s training shoes, balanced by premium suede overlays that retain the shoe’s iconic texture. The tactile contrast between mesh and suede invites both visual and sensory connection — a small luxury in a culture that often privileges the synthetic over the soulful.

Across the sidewall, teal Three Stripes provide a visual jolt, cutting through the monochrome base like a banner of loyalty. The END. and adidas co-branding appears discreetly yet deliberately: embossed heel tabs, tongue tags, and insoles remind the wearer that this is collaboration as conversation — a dialogue between craftsmanship and culture, rather than hype and mass appeal.

The Indoor Pro sole unit, translucent and gum-toned, grounds the design in authentic terrace style. It’s built for grip, but more importantly, for identity — the kind that once defined the fashion codes of post-industrial Britain.

the apparel — from the stands to the streets

The capsule extends beyond footwear, offering a matching track top, pants, and tee that complete the Grass Roots aesthetic. END. embraces adidas’s archival silhouettes while injecting a sense of bespoke tailoring and regional character.

Each piece carries teal accenting — a thread of continuity through the black-and-white palette. Chain-stitched insignia on the chest and sleeves lend an artisan’s touch, an homage to club embroidery and classic sportswear craftsmanship. The track top channels the ‘80s and ‘90s, an era when adidas stripes were more than fashion — they were social currency. The pants follow suit, slim but not tight, honoring the silhouette’s athletic heritage while remaining relevant for today’s streetwear uniform.

Meanwhile, the tee offers versatility, its soft cotton composition designed to bridge casual and refined dressing. END.’s restraint in co-branding keeps the focus on proportion, texture, and color balance — allowing the wearer to express identity through subtlety rather than overt logos.

a story rooted in community

The “Grass Roots” name isn’t just branding — it’s philosophy. END. and adidas have long shared an interest in storytelling through locality. This collection looks back to Newcastle’s terraces, where football culture and personal style intertwined to form something timeless. The teal hue, beyond mere decoration, serves as a signifier of place and pride.

By revisiting this narrative in 2025, END. honors both the past and present of the North of England, a region whose influence on global fashion continues to ripple through designers, musicians, and collectors. From the early mod subcultures to Britpop and beyond, the North taught the world how to fuse utility and expression — and this collection captures that essence in tangible form.

 

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the drop — dates and context

The END. x adidas “Grass Roots” collection launches October 13, 2025, exclusively via END. Launches, with a wider online release on October 17, 2025. Given END.’s history of sell-out collaborations with adidas — from the “Samba Consortium” to the “Munich ‘88” — this drop is poised to attract not only sneaker enthusiasts but also those invested in cultural authenticity.

The timing feels deliberate. As global fashion leans further into nostalgia cycles, adidas continues to reclaim its archive, filtering it through contemporary collaborators who understand storytelling as design. END. fits perfectly in this framework: a curator as much as a retailer, turning heritage into editorial language.

the broader conversation

2025 has seen a renaissance of terrace style — from Stone Island retrospectives to the reissue of adidas Spezial icons. The movement is less about football itself and more about what football once represented: community, identity, and defiant self-expression.

In that context, the “Grass Roots” collection becomes both artifact and manifesto. It reminds us that modern fashion need not always innovate — sometimes, it must remember. The Gazelle Indoor Pro is not trying to be futuristic; it’s trying to be faithful.

And yet, through END.’s minimalist reinterpretation, it feels unmistakably current — proof that restraint, when done right, can be the most radical form of design.

style with substance

The END. x adidas “Grass Roots” capsule is an exercise in quiet confidence. Every stitch, stripe, and shade tells a story of where we come from — and where the terrace spirit still lives on. For END., it’s a statement of identity; for adidas, a reaffirmation of its roots.

In a fashion landscape dominated by maximalism, this collaboration is refreshingly grounded. It celebrates the everyday heroism of heritage: the feeling of walking into a stadium, or down a high street, wearing something that belongs to both history and now.

When it lands this October, the Grass Roots collection won’t just sell out — it’ll resonate.

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