How James Harden and Willy Chavarria Made an All-Star Sneaker

Harden: It’s always dope for me when I can step out of what I do off the court. Again, fashion is a way for me to express myself, and that’s something that Willy has a vision on. He knew the story he wanted to tell and it all lined up for me being able to be part of it.

Chavarria: I spend a lot of time in the Adidas offices, and he spends time in the Adidas offices. So it was kind of inevitable that we would meet. So when I met him, I just felt like he would have a really good presence on the runway. He became a role model I wanted to have in one of my shows because I do like to pepper my shows with role models. And he was down to do it and he was a lot of fun to work with.

James, what input did you have when it came to incorporating the Harden Vol. 10 into Willy’s All-Star Weekend collection?

Harden: That’s the great thing about this: It wasn’t forced. There’s a mutual respect, so bringing an actual collaboration to life was sort of the easy next step. My guy Jalal [Enayah, an Adidas designer] did his thing with the 10s, so we already were starting from a solid place. Obviously they need to be able to support what I do on the court in terms of performance, but how they look with a fit or in my everyday life is just as important to me. We talked about how I move, how I live in sneakers, and went from there. I always have a point of view on what I want and then Willy brought his vision to it. That back and forth is what made it special.

You don’t often see a signature sneaker line get better the longer it goes on. What’s it been like to see Adidas’s approach to making your signature shoes change over the last decade?

Harden: It’s been a journey. Each volume is different but we learn from it each time. Now that we’re on Vol. 10, we have a process that helps us get to the best place possible. Like I said, I don’t want to sacrifice performance or style. Nobody is doing it like this. The goal every year is to top the last one.

It’s a pretty exciting time at Adidas in terms of the collaborators working with the brand. Who’s another Adidas partner you’d love to work with on a Harden Vol. 10?

Harden: Damn… So many. I mean I’d love to do something with Pharrell. He’s one of the GOATs for creativity and fashion. There’s others for sure, but I gotta say Pharrell.

Willy, since collaborating with James, what do you admire about him as a creative person?

Chavarria: I admire his tenacity and his commitment to excellence. You know, his commitment to winning. I really admire that about him.