What went down at the adidas Originals x Oasis store takeovers

Manchester, 11^th July 2025

It was 26 degrees Celsius in Manchester city, and the mood was electric. Given the jubilation and uninterrupted hours of sunshine, you’d have been forgiven for thinking that Christmas had come early. For many people, it had. This was Oasis weekend, and the prodigal sons were back in town.

The last time Liam and Noel had played in their hometown was 16 years prior, when they famously broke the generator and promised a refund to all 70,000 concert-goers. This time, they were returning to Heaton Park for their Live ​’25 tour.

Before all the singing, though, diehard fans visited Market Street’s newest resident, the adidas store, which throughout the tour is selling a special collection of Oasis merch. Inspired by the football terraces of the ​’90s, as well as Liam and Noel’s closet, the offering includes an Oasis bucket hat, a Firebird tracksuit and a long sleeve slapped with a logo that reads ​“the band with the 3 stripes” on its back.

By 6pm, a large queue was snaking around the shop, with fans eager to catch a special podcast Q&A with presenter John ​“Fenners” Fendley and Lawrence Watson – the go-to photographer for Oasis. Inside, Lawrence divulged untold stories of his time with Liam and Noel during their Don’t Believe the Truth and Dig Out Your Soul eras.

Before things began, we perused the store. In one corner, a customisation bar; in another, a DJ booth and an actual bar serving adidas lager. A collection of Oasis memorabilia was peppered throughout the space. Excited fans filtered in, flocking first to the vitrines to take photos of rare ephemera, such as the band fanzine, Lasagne!, a photo pass from the 1996 tour, tickets from the 2005 Manchester show, and an adidas Originals flight jacket – famously worn by Liam on Channel 4 in 2005.

After a spirited sing-along to I Am the Resurrection, Lawrence, Fenners and Lawrence’s little white dog, Alfredo, headed to the front of the room. Lawrence had first met Oasis when the photographer who was supposed to shoot the Don’t Believe the Truth (2005) album cover had dropped out. Lawrence stepped in and soon became a favourite of the boys, capturing images that defined the band, as well as quieter moments between shows on tour. As Lawrence told the stories from some of the most iconic Oasis images, unseen snaps of Liam and Noel flashed up on a screen behind him, transporting the room back to the heady ​’00s.

To round off the night, those who had purchased something were gifted a print, which many took to Lawrence to sign before the DJ hit play on a nostalgic mix of ​’90s indie and, of course, a decent helping of Oasis. Next stop, London.

London, 17^th July 2025

Brian Cannon and Oasis go way back. So back, in fact, that on the day Brian met Noel he was wearing a pair of adidas Indoor Supers. Noel asked Brian, ​“Where the fuck do you get those trainers from?” They got to chatting, and after finding out that Brian was an art director who had worked with The Verve, Noel invited him to work on Oasis’ album covers once they were signed. A man of his word, Noel got back in touch and Brian went on to create the Oasis box logo and many a legendary Oasis cover, including (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, Definitely Maybe and Be Here Now.

It’s no wonder then, a week after Manchester’s Oasis event, adidas invited Brian to the store to be interviewed by Fenners in London’s Carnaby Street. As was the case in Manchester, an Oasis-ified temporary exhibition filled the shop. This time, it was prints and annotated preliminary drawings of album covers.

As Brian and Fenners took their seats, Oasis fans crowded around them, rapt, as Brian lifted the lid on legendary shoots such as the one for Wonderwall (1995). It began with, he explained, ​“a very ​’90s problem.” Brian had faxed the concept over – Liam standing inside a frame over to Ignition Management – for Noel’s approval, but unbeknownst to Brian, the machine had run out of paper. He never heard back, so he went ahead with the shoot. On the day, whilst Liam was posing inside the frame, Noel happened to be driving past in a black taxi. Leaning outside the window, he shouted, ​“What the fuckin’ hell is going on ​‘ere?! It’s got to be a girl!” So in the end, it was.

After a few more meanders down memory lane, a raffle was held for a signed print of the Roll With It artwork. Then, everybody went home, buzzing from such a rich trip into Britpop history. Anyway, see you at Wembley?

The adidas Originals x Oasis Live ​’25 collection is available within the adidas MCR, LDN and Carnaby retail stores; adi​das​.co​.uk and oasisinet​.com; and at stadiums across the Oasis Live ​’25 tour dates.