Cannes Lion, The One Show, Dubai Lynx Grand Prix Winning Collaboration

adidas Ravi Superstar

Dubai’s fav hyperlocal hype drop

The sneaker that Dubai's hottest restaurant made famous. Not the other way around, despite what the press might say. One of Dubai’s most impactful campaigns in the history of a city known for bold launches, celebrating the history of a Pakistani restaurant that pulled a global and local community together, a spot for Dubai’s true originals.

Group of restaurant workers wearing white uniforms with Adidas and RAVI Restaurant logos, standing in a huddle outside a building.
“Superlative understanding of the market (leaps and bounds ahead of pretty much any comparison), ultimately this is a shoe that stood for something more.”
— Esquire

Client
adidas Originals

Market
Dubai, UAE to the world

Scope
Concept, campaign strategy, creative direction, design toolkit, retail concept, event and activation production, influencer and community programming, PR, content, social

A man with a beard wearing a white shirt and white cap standing outside a store, holding two foam gloves with a green logo and a list of menu items, in front of a large green and white sign.
Four men dressed as chefs in white uniforms and white hats with green Adidas and RAVI branding, standing outside and embracing in a group hug at a restaurant.
Display of a white Adidas sneaker with green stripes on a shoebox inside a green-lit retail display case, with a woman shopping in the background.
A green food stall with the word 'addicious' and a stylized leaf logo, where three people are working and a woman is ordering, inside a restaurant or food court.
An elderly man dressed in a brown suit sitting outside on a chair in front of a wooden door. The background includes a white wall, a lantern, and decorative items.
Empty stainless steel tray with remnants of food, including rice and vegetables, inside a restaurant named 'TRAVE' with an Adidas logo.

adidas' global Adilicious platform invited markets to collab with local restaurants to create heat around the classic Superstar. Dubai's brief was to connect food and local culture to drive sales while making something that could only happen here. The trap was obvious. Dubai's drop culture defaults to glamour, glitz, and VIP everything. We went the other way.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Cannes Lion x Bronze
Dubai Lynx x 3 Grand Prix
One Show Pencils x 2
#1 Creative Director, IP and Innovation, Middle East
Totaling over 30+ global awards in creativity, PR, IP and design

BRIEF

We broke every rule of a Dubai hype drop. Launched in Satwa, an older, congested, gloriously unglamorous part of town far from where influencers live, not in a mall or a rooftop. Gave very few pairs away, leaving some of the region's biggest VIPs begging while local residents and micro-creators got first dibs. Heroed the Ravi staff, not models. Worked directly with the founding family on every creative decision. Built a design toolkit rooted in Urdu poetry, Lahori architecture, affordable menu staples, and the kind of mehmaan-nawaazi (guest hospitality) that has kept Ravi full for four decades. An electric rickshaw toured the city serving free Karak chai. The restaurant itself was taken over, converted into a hype retail moment with its own cultural cachet. 

INSIGHTS & APPROACH

Sold out in 12 minutes in all stores and ecomm. 100% sell-through. Ecomm sold out in 2 hours. Resold for up to $12,000 though we retailed at 549 AED because the whole point was accessibility. $6.7 million in earned PR value. 646 million in PR reach. 32.3 million reached on social. 20% increase in followers on adidas Dubai. Featured in CNN, Hypebeast, Esquire, Vogue, Gulf News, Arab News, Campaign, Bloomberg, GQ, The National, Rolling Stone Korea, NPR, and more. Esquire Drop of the Year. What's On called it "brilliant... in a world where brands are clambering over themselves to produce NFTs, you're keeping it real." CNN said it made "Dubai's hottest restaurant famous." Hypebeast called it "remarkable."

EXECUTION & IMPACT

The true recipe.