Adidas Introduces Its Next NYC Creative Class, Six Voices Shaping the City’s Culture
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By PAGE Editor
New York’s creative identity has never belonged to a single discipline. It emerges through the intersections of fashion, food, music, art, and the communities that give each its meaning. With the next iteration of its NYC Creative Class, adidas is building on that interconnected spirit, bringing together six creatives whose practices reflect the city’s evolving cultural landscape.
Introduced on October 19, 2026, the new class features Chef Stikxz, Bitter000000, Secret Riso Club, Cyle Warner, Gabe Gordon, and Anysia Kym. Each brings a distinct perspective to the collective, spanning Caribbean-inspired culinary experiences, experimental jewelry, community-centered printmaking, textile and sculptural art, handcrafted knitwear, and music shaped by New York’s hip-hop and sampling traditions.
Rather than confining creativity to a single category, the initiative recognizes the people shaping culture through their work and their relationships with the communities around them. For adidas, it also presents an opportunity to deepen its connection to New York beyond sportswear, engaging the independent creative networks that have long informed the city’s identity.
The six members represent different expressions of that influence. Chef Stikxz, culinary director at Miss Lily’s and founder of the NYAM dinner series, brings Caribbean diaspora flavors into conversation with fine-dining techniques. Brooklyn-based design duo Bitter000000, founded by Ava María and Anton Bitter, reimagines traditional grillz through detailed printed portraits and laser-engraved patterns. Secret Riso Club, an artist-run print studio and community space, supports emerging and underrepresented creatives through workshops, publishing, and risograph printing.
Elsewhere, Cyle Warner, a Van Lier and Bronx Museum fellow, uses textiles and sculpture to explore home, care, and memory. Designer Gabe Gordon draws on the nostalgia of knitwear, developing a distinct visual language through space-dyed yarns and a signature moth-hole technique. Anysia Kym, a Bronx-born producer, drummer, and singer signed to MIKE, rounds out the collective with a sound informed by uptown hip-hop, breakbeats, and sampling culture, building on two albums recognized by Pitchfork.
Together, the group illustrates how New York’s cultural influence extends beyond established creative industries. Its character is equally visible in the dinner series that bring people together, the independent studios that make creative tools more accessible, and the artists who transform familiar materials and sounds into something personal. The connective thread is not a shared medium, but a commitment to developing ideas that resonate beyond the individual practice.
Throughout the season, adidas plans to bring the collective to life through cultural programming, collaborations, and community experiences. The brand’s 135 Spring Street location will serve as a gathering point, offering opportunities to engage with the members’ work and participate in programming shaped by their respective practices. Upcoming events include Chef Stikxz’s cookout, a Bitter000000 grillz pop-up, and Secret Riso Club’s holiday market.
“New York’s culture is shaped by people who continually challenge what’s possible,” said Chris Murphy, senior vice president of brand marketing at adidas North America. “The Creative Class gives those voices a meaningful platform and makes 135 Spring Street a place where creativity, community, and adidas Originals come together.”
The initiative reflects a broader approach to cultural engagement in which a brand’s relevance is developed through sustained relationships with the people influencing its surroundings. Instead of treating New York as a backdrop for a campaign, adidas is positioning its creative community as an active participant in how the brand shows up in the city.
As an evolving platform rather than a one-season activation, the NYC Creative Class will introduce new perspectives with each iteration. Its latest group offers a cross-section of the people shaping New York now, underscoring the idea that culture is not simply something to observe or reference, but something built through shared experiences, independent expression, and community.
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Adidas introduces its next NYC Creative Class, bringing together six artists, designers, musicians, and cultural innovators whose distinct practices and community-driven work reflect the creative energy shaping New York City.