Pakistani restaurant Ravi in Dubai teams up with Adidas for a sneaker collaboration

Never in our wildest dreams did we think that one of the most well-known international sports brands in the world would introduce something specially for the Pakistani community but Adidas surprised us by announcing a collaboration with Dubai-based Pakistani restaurant Ravi for a pair of limited-edition Superstar sneakers.

The bright green accent on the brand's classic Superstar trainers have been customised for the special edition shoes that are being called Superstar Ravi. The colour on the sneakers' accent reflects the theme of the restaurant seen at all three branches in Dubai.

The green stripes on a cream base references the heritage of the owners, according to the Khaleej Times. The pair also features a custom sock liner with a hand-drawn map signifying the meaning of the name Ravi, named after the Ravi River.

The heel tab of the shoe also includes the year in which the restaurant opened. One shoe has the name and the year written in English while the other is in Arabic.

According to the publication, the restaurant was opened in 1978 by Chaudary Abdul Hameed. The restaurant has served as a hub for local families, friends where they come together to enjoy food like home.

Now the culinary destination is a famous spot for tourists as well as locals. Many celebrities have also visited the hotspot including American rapper Snoop Dogg, British singer Craig David, American band One Republic, as well as Bollywood stars and cricketers.

The shoes also feature six 'hero' Ravi dishes selected by restaurant owners — mutton Peshawari, chicken biryani, chicken tikka, daal fry, karak chai and Punjabi lassi. All six dish names have been added to the tongue of the sneakers with English and Arabic on either shoe.

Each pair of shoes are delivered in a special edition packaging that imitates a takeaway style box and comes with a detachable hangtag with the restaurant's logo on it.

Currently, the restaurant is managed by Chaudary's sons, Waqar, Waseem and Waheed Abdul Hameed.

Waheed told Khaleej Times, “We chose the six hero dishes because not only are they a community favourite, but we believe these are the must-haves at Ravi restaurant. Our six special dishes are featured on the limited-edition sneakers.”

“Our first input was selecting the Superstar sneaker, an iconic adidas silhouette, for the collaborative sneaker. We shared our vision with the global adidas design to help bring the sneaker to life. Our story is prevalent through the sneaker, and we’re so happy with the outcome," said Waseem.

Commenting on the collaboration as a whole, Waqar said, “As our restaurant is one of the city’s most nostalgic and culturally relevant restaurants, the match was perfect.”

The Superstar pair with Ravi written at the back will be available at select Adidas stores and online on June 23 exclusively in Dubai.