To relaunch one of adidas’ most iconic lines, Jeph and Hunter stripped things back—to both design and truth.
Everything that is essential. Nothing that is not.
Shot by Juergen Teller on the streets of Berlin, the campaign rejected gloss and embraced rawness. Models weren’t styled—they were cast for the collection. Lighting wasn’t designed—it was found. The result was a series of images that felt lived-in, stripped down, and undeniably modern. Fashion with the volume turned all the way down—and the substance turned all the way up.
The campaign extended into a documentary short, “Only the Essentials,” directed by Phil Pinto, which traced the lineage of EQT from its early ’90s performance roots to its cultural reemergence. Blending archival footage with present-day storytelling, the film unpacked the philosophy behind the franchise and the cultural significance of design that does only what it needs to—and nothing more.
The campaign continued, lensed by Ben Nicholas
Product embraced the ethos.