British Textile Biennial: adidas Spezial Exhibition

Darwen’s adidas brand consultant and adidas SPEZIAL designer, Gary Aspden is set to present an exhibition of 1000 trainers/shoes from his own archive as well as those from fellow adidas collectors at the upcoming British Textile Biennial. 

This free exhibition will take place from 4th October until 20th October 2019 at The Exchange - the old Blackburn Cotton Exchange, on King William Street. 

Opening Hours:  Mon - Fri 4pm - 8pm, Sat - Sun 12pm - 8pm 

In Blackburn’s magnificent Cotton Exchange, the adidas Spezial exhibition celebrates the training shoe and its legacy as an important marker of when the young working classes found cultural expression in an item of clothing.

The 80s in Blackburn saw the emergence of the cult of the adidas trainer on the football terraces, the dancefloors and abandoned mills and warehouses of the town.

The exhibition will be accompanied by an interactive engagement programme funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund where people will be able to share stories of how their own trainers and wardrobe choices expressed their identity and passions.

Throughout October 2019, the British Textile Biennial will look at fabric as a means of expression; exploring textiles as a vehicle for protest and cultural identity in installations, performances and art works that take a dynamic look at our relationship with that most basic and ancient of human creations, cloth.

Commissioned by Super Slow Way, the inaugural Biennial programme highlights the nation’s creation, innovation and expression in textiles against the backdrop of the impressive infrastructure of the cotton industry in Pennine Lancashire.