I created the Adidas Spezial collection - this is why I'm so grateful to Preston
The Lancashire man who created Adidas’ famous Spezial collection has been honoured by the University of Central Lancashire - 27 years after his graduation.
Gary Aspden, originally from Darwen, combined his BA (Hons) Fashion Promotion studies with placements at Diesel, Giorgio Armani and Donna Karan, and following his graduation in 1998, he was offered a permanent job at Adidas.
He worked on entertainment promotions for the global giant, including the global launch of Adidas’ Originals range. In 2014 he curated and designed the adidas Spezial capsule collection and the popularity of the range continues to grow. He has collaborated with Oasis’ Liam and Noel Gallagher and actors Stephen Graham, Vicky McClure and Ashley Walters on recent collections.
The 55-year-old took to the graduation stage on Friday, to accept the Art and Creative Alumni Achievement Award after a highly successful marketing career which has seen him work on major projects and collaborate with big names in the entertainment industry.
Gary, who has been featured twice in The Face magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in fashion, said: “I am genuinely thrilled and honoured to be given this award. I could never have imagined being awarded something like this back in 1998 when I graduated. Those years in academia here in Preston gave me the space and time to develop my skills and for that I will always be grateful.”
Gary has never strayed too far from his Lancashire roots. He opted to bring the global launch of the Adidas Spezial range back to the north with a charity exhibition that fast became the highlight of the Design Manchester festival in 2014. He has also shown the Spezial exhibition in London, Paris and Moscow before eventually bringing it back to Blackburn in 2019 in aid of local charity Nightsafe (who he has since become an ambassador of). As part of a collaborative project with adidas Spezial and C.P. Company he organised the 'Cinquanta' exhibition for the 50th anniversary on a converted underground car park in his hometown of Darwen.
Two years later Gary returned with another exhibition to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Adidas Spezial range, transforming a closed down supermarket on the high street into an exhibition space. These exhibitions brought people from all over the world into East Lancashire whilst raising money to help youths who find themselves homeless in the area.
His charity efforts with Nightsafe and his promotion of creativity and culture in East Lancashire were recently recognised when last year Blackburn with Darwen Council renamed the street that houses the youth centre Gary attended as a teenager as 'Gary Aspden Way'.