JACKET Adidas Originals SOCKS Adidas Originals SHOES Adidas Ozweego
Adidas’ latest Ozworld Collection celebrates self-expression through a futuristic lens. The Ozworld Collection, in collaboration with Zalando, explores the creative potential of the digital realm, while adding to the conversation surrounding the metaverse – a culturally relevant topic circulating within fashion and beyond. The collection sees two new Ozweego designs: the Ozelia, a sleek all-black shoe with a streamlined silhouette, and the Oznova, which features a glow in the dark sole panelling. We catch up with the face of the campaign Belina Bellwood – influencer, TikTok star, model and now, singer – about her debut single, love and how she would style the two new Adidas sneakers.
SLEEK: You’ve just released your debut single ‘DUMB’, in collaboration with your close friend Henri Purnell. What was the inspiration behind this song?
Belina Bellwood: We wanted to create a song everyone can relate and connect to. A song you can scream to in the car, you can sing to in a club or just simply dance to in your room. A song that instantly gives you good vibes and a burst of motivation. That was the main thought behind ‘DUMB’ and we’re so happy to get great feedback and see so many people already vibing to my first ever single. It’s so crazy!
S: Have you always had an interest in music?
BB: Yes definitely! I’ve always loved to sing and to listen to music wherever and whenever possible. But for some reason, I never felt confident enough to share it with anyone. So, no one, not even my mom, knew that I could sing. But all that kind of changed when I shared a short clip of me singing on my Tiktok channel a few months ago and I became more self-confident. All the love of my followers gave me more motivation to chase my dreams and to start working on my first song.
S: One of the lyrics from the song says “(you) realised that loving is complex”. Here at Sleek, Love has been a central theme that we have been exploring throughout this year, in all its complexities and intricacies. What does love mean to you?
BB: Love means so much to me because it’s connected to so many emotions and feelings and I’m so glad to feel love from and give love to my favourite people every day. I got a new tattoo a few days ago, (a matchstick with little hearts instead of a flame) that I designed with a thought to ‘spark love’ or ‘to spark more love’ behind it. I think it’s important to show and spark love because it has such a huge impact on us and our environment. Little gestures of love can bring so much joy and positive energy into our lives and the lives of others. Love is a beautiful thing and I think we should show it more often and try not to hide it!
S: Berlin is a very inspirational city, especially in terms of creativity and fashion. What are some of your favourite things to get up to while in the city?
BB: I love Berlin so much for all of these possibilities you have. I really love to stroll through the city and try out new vegan cafes, go for walks, spend time with my friends, go thrift shopping or go outside just to feel inspired by creative people and places.
S: When it comes to fashion, how would you describe your style?
BB: I’d describe my style as very versatile and open-minded. I love to play around with different fits, styles and colours. At the moment, I’m very into neutral tones and comfy, warm outfits. But I’m already so hyped for spring to finally come with all of its beautiful colours and new styles. I really love to play around with fashion, express my feelings and mood with it and to be inspired by people, places or trends. So my style changes a lot but that’s what I love about it!
S: Adidas’ Ozworld Collection, in collaboration with Zalando, celebrates self-expression through a futuristic lens. Through an exploration of the digital realm, Adidas are adding to the conversation surrounding the metaverse. As an influencer, on both TikTok and Instagram, what are your thoughts on the metaverse and its relationship to fashion?
BB: I feel like it could turn out to be a good but also a bad thing. For fashion I think it could be a really cool opportunity for people to try out something new in this “new world”. Maybe also to feel more free and comfortable with different styles if it’s not directly in “real life”. It’s also an opportunity to play with fashion in a new way. But I do also think it’s kind of scary to be able to live in this new world and to be able to dive even deeper into social media and to maybe forget the reality more and more. Besides that, I am excited on how the metaverse turns out and how it’s going to influence our lives.
S: The latest Adidas collection sees two Ozweego styles: the Ozelia which sees a sleek, all-black silhouette, and the Oznova, a bold silhouette that incorporates a glow in the dark panelling. How would you style each of these sneakers?
BB: That’s a great question but honestly, I just think that these are shoes that go with every single style and with every single colour! That’s what I love about them! Personally, I think my go-to looks with the black Ozelia Shoe would be an all black fit with maybe, a tight jumpsuit and a huge black coat. For the Oznova shoe, I’d play around with different neutral tones in the outfit like creamy and brown tones. I think these are my favourite ways to style them. But as I mentioned earlier, I think they really do go with every look and are a great basic and comfy, while still being a fancy shoe to have.
S: What is your go-to Adidas sneaker style?
BB: Oh that’s such a hard question! I’m really obsessed with lots of Adidas sneakers but I think besides the new Ozweego styles you can never go wrong with the Superstars and I really hope that they come back again in more colours. After 10 years of owning the black and white Adidas Superstars I’m still obsessed with them and tempted to get them in other colours for this spring! Also, the Adidas Triple Platforum is a style I could never get enough of and is one my go-to sneakers! So yeah as you can see, I can’t really decide on one particular pair!
S: Have you got any musical ventures on the horizon? What’s next?
BB: YES, I do! I love music and writing way too much to not create new songs I can share with my followers and loved ones! I may or may not have already started working on a song again I wrote about a year ago. It’s way more emotional than ‘DUMB’ and it means a lot to me and is very personal so I’m already very nervous but in a good way. I just love music as a way to express my feelings and thoughts and to connect with other people. I am so excited for future projects and feel so thankful to share everything with so many lovely people.
SHOES Adidas Ozweego
See more from Belina Bellwood x Adidas editorial here.
Credits
Photographer: Eva Losada
Art Director: Lorenzo Pradelli
Photography Assistant: Rianon Vran
Stylist: Joana Zibat
Hair & Makeup: Victoria Reuter uses Mac Cosmetics and Hair Oribe
Talent: Belina Bellwood
Creative Production: Claude Gerber
Production Assistants: Indigo Lewisohn and Roxane Juhasz