Dezeen Magazine

"I am no longer a lighting designer, I am a fashion designer" - Tom Dixon

In our second movie with Tom Dixon filmed earlier this year in Milan, the British designer discusses his foray into fashion design and says that his capsule collection for sports brand Adidas is based on the idea of creating a personal survival kit for Milan design week.

Tom Dixon for Adidas at MOST
Tom Dixon

"I'm doing a collaboration with Adidas," says Dixon in the movie. "So I am now no longer a lighting designer, I am a fashion designer, okay?"

Tom Dixon for Adidas at MOST

"That's been a fascinating experience of diving into a much bigger infrastructure and going in there with a very naive view but also a very different view on sportswear."

Tom Dixon for Adidas at MOST

He adds: "It's been a riot working in this completely new playground of a different typology of goods, in which I can use some of the same ideas but in a completely new world."

Tom Dixon for Adidas at MOST

Dixon's collection, which was on display amongst the steam trains at Milan's Museum of Science and Technology as part of MOST, includes underwear, trousers, shirts, shoes and waterproof jackets that fold easily and can be packed efficiently. Dixon also designed a coat that doubles up as a sleeping bag.

Tom Dixon for Adidas at MOST

"Adidas started off with a bag and then I thought, I'm not just going to do a bag, I'm going to fill that bag with everything that I need for Milan," Dixon explains.

Tom Dixon for Adidas at MOST

"So I started thinking about my personal problems. I always forget to pack the right number of pants or socks, or I forget that there's going to be a volcano and I'll get trapped in Milan and so I'll need a sleeping bag [a reference to the 2010 volcanic eruption in Iceland, which suspended air travel for weeks]."

Tom Dixon for Adidas at MOST

He concludes: "All of those adventures I had in Milan went into that collection. It's as much as I can fit into a carry-on bag on a low-cost airline, with everything that I need for a week away."

Tom Dixon for Adidas at MOST

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