MAYOWA LAWAL AND ADIDAS MAKE HISTORY TOGETHER

Fine art photographer Mayowa Lawal teams up with Adidas for a landmark collaboration housed at Adidas LERA in Lekki, blending personal memory with the movement, colour, and spirit of Lagos.

There is a certain grace in the way Mayowa Lawal tells stories. Rooted in memory, layered with detail, and always in motion. His latest collaboration with Adidas, titled Rooted & Reimagined, brings that energy into full view. It marks the first time a fine art photographer has officially collaborated with Adidas on the continent.

Now showing at Adidas LERA in Lekki, Lagos, the body of work is a visual love letter to the city that shaped him. In it, Lawal draws from the pulse of Lagos life. The textures of ANKARA fabric. The sounds of the street. The movement of people, children, time. The result is intimate and expansive all at once, capturing both personal and collective memory with sincerity.

At the heart of the work is a simple moment: A young girl, steady hands, focused on tying her trainer laces. But as Lawal often reminds us, the smallest moments carry the deepest truths. In this still, we see a future being shaped. We are reminded that care is learned, that community is built in the early days, that how we are held as children often determines how we move through the world.

Lawal’s aesthetic has long been rooted in his upbringing. Inspired by his mother’s garden and the emotional resonance of Lagos, his images merge structure and sentiment, control and colour. With a background in computer science, his work holds both precision and softness, arriving at a visual rhythm that feels wholly his own.

The collaboration is supported by OSENGWA and championed by Seju Alero Mike, who helped bring the vision into view. For Adidas, this marks a meaningful step in honouring local culture in its raw, unfiltered form.

For Lawal, it is not about crossing a milestone. It is about returning home. Through each frame, he builds a bridge between past and present, holding Lagos as both subject and muse.