The recent re-opening of the Adidas Originals location in Downtown Vancouver was "extra special" for Carson Ting.
The illustrator and co-founder of local artist and design studio, Chairman Ting, helped create five designs linking five Adidas shoes with different Vancouver neighbourhoods; Downtown, Gastown, Chinatown, Yaletown, and East Vancouver.
There are five core illustrations which are screen-printed onto tote bags and T-shirts and adapted to fit each shoe style.
East Vancouver, which has "lots of grit and is a little bit edgier" according to Ting, is drawn onto the Adidas Forum shoe with blue accents, featuring the SkyTrain, East Van Cross, a boom box, and Canuck the crow wearing a flat cap hat and chain. "He's got a little bit more attitude," the artist notes.
Ting chose the Adidas Gazelle for Chinatown because of its association with martial arts, explaining that the Gazelle is typically worn for training. His customized version features iconic landmarks like the Chinatown Gates, a stone lion statue, and Chinese characters with pops of red throughout the design.
Yaletown's high-rise-scattered skyline is easily recognized in shades of orange on the Adidas Nizza, a shoe that goes well with the neighbourhood's "younger, more affluent kind of crowd," he says.
Ting paired Gastown with a streetwear classic: the Adidas Stan Smith. Notable Gastown features such as the popular steam clock, five-sphere streetlights, and the Ironworks building are doodled onto the shoe with splashes of orange. "Gastown's a very trendy neighbourhood. There's lots of streetwear," notes Ting.
Downtown Vancouver, coloured in pink on the Adidas Superstar, displays the recognizable Canada Place sails, Harbour Centre, mountainous waterfront views, and even a boombox. 'It's more glitz and glamour and a little bit more nightlife," says Ting of the core design which looks down the Granville strip towards the aforementioned landmarks. A small pizza shop sign can be seen on the side.
Ting's personal favourites are the Chinatown and East Vancouver designs.
While the shoes themselves aren't for sale, those who spend $100 at the Adidas Originals located at 848 Granville Street will receive a custom tote bag and purchases over $150 come with a screen-printed t-shirt.
'Every time I go to Toronto, I love Vancouver even more
One of the Vancouver artist's biggest breaks was his collaboration with Adidas in Hong Kong and Shanghai 12 years ago. Collaborating with Adidas Originals again through his studio "felt like going back to our roots," he says. "It's really nice to do it in my hometown in Vancouver."
The artist describes it as a full-circle moment. The same could be said for this article, which is written 10 years after Vancouver Is Awesome first spotlighted Ting and his work in 2013.
While Ting calls Vancouver home, he is originally from Toronto.
"Every time I go to Toronto, I love Vancouver even more," he jokes over the phone from Toronto where he's working on several projects.
"I just love the size of the city ... Everything is literally within 10 minutes," he says, comparing Vancouver to the East Coast metropolis. The mountains and ocean are another part of what Ting loves about Vancouver. He often takes his kids to Stanley Park and the beach and says it is essential for mental health.
"It feels like a much more cozier city than Toronto," he says.
