adidas Originals and Brain Dead team up on the Japan Flames collection, a project that taps the vivid language of professional wrestling and redirects it into footwear. The collaboration follows Brain Dead’s own Brain Slam Wrestling initiative from 2022, and extends the Los Angeles studio’s ongoing dialogue with ring culture through material choices, color, and graphic cues. The drop lands on August 28, 2025, with limited quantities.
SNEAKERS
The collection revisits adidas Originals’ Japan franchise and frames it through wrestling iconography. Brain Dead mines the silhouette’s low profile and high-top, wrestling boot-like form, then layers on flames and tactile contrasts as a nod to Japan’s imprint on the sport. The approach sits in line with earlier Brain Dead spins on adidas icons such as the Stan Smith and Forest Hills, as well as a revived ’70s bowling shoe.
The Japan Lo arrives with a leather base and two-tone suede flame overlays that streak along the quarters. Leather contrast stripes cut through the heat motif, while furry laces add texture. Co-branded sockliners lock in the partnership. Two makeups headline the low: brown with yellow details and green accents, and black with blue details and off-white accents.
The Japan Hi pushes the wrestling connection further with its taller, ring-ready proportions. It picks up the same flame treatment and mixed materials as the low, and lands in a single colorway: black with off-white details and pine green accents. The high’s stance and paneling give the graphics more vertical room, turning the flames into a statement element.
The adidas Originals x Brain Dead Japan Flames collection releases on August 28 in limited numbers. Pairs will be available on CONFIRMED, at select adidas stores, through select retailers, and on wearebraindead.com.
