From the brand’s internal audience research, we learned that the adidas Originals fan is defined by two primary values: authenticity and substance.

To drive a meaningful connection with our special edition adidas Superstar, further research was developed to identify cultural icons in the city that would share the same traits.

Ravi is a restaurant of legendary status. Despite this, Ravi refused to price out local residents or change core recipes, making it a pop-culture phenomenon.

It's a brand in its own right, that unlike other brands it has no media budget, no communication strategies, no brand guidelines or PR plans.

Brand collaborations have always focused on partnering with musicians, artists, or other iconic brands. But when it came to Dubai, we wanted to represent the people of the city. A community that has called Dubai home for over four decades, made up of over fifty nationalities.

So choosing to collaborate with yet another artist representing these people just wasn't going to cut it. We needed to find a name to partner with that represented their history in the UAE, their way of life, and gave them a sense of home despite being far away from where they all originally come from.

adidad's global strategy to create authentic connections with key cities around the world that are the centers of culture for their respective regions. Dubai, being one of the newest additions to the list.

So far, brands have attempted to build relevancy with the people of Dubai through massive takeovers, impressive stunts and larger than life stunts.

These however have only pandered to furthering Dubai's perception of being only about the glitz and the glamour.

None of them had successfully connected with those that have called Dubai home for generations.

Our key challenge was find a way to appeal to, represent and celebrate the Dubai community that is in fact made up of over fifty nationalities.

As our objective was to create a collaboration that represented and celebrated the city of Dubai, we chose to go in the opposite direction of what the world is accustomed to seeing from this city.

We wanted to show the world a different, more authentic side of Dubai. Away from the glitz and glamour. The side of the city that belongs to people who have called it home for generations, even before the record-breaking skyline existed.

So, instead of following the rule book of brand collaborations that recommends partnering with upcoming artists or influential personalities to appeal to different communities, we turned one of the oldest and most iconic adidas sneakers into a celebration of the one place in Dubai that holds a special place in the heart of every resident. A small culinary gem, hidden away in the oldest part of the city - Ravi.

Instead of partnering with artists or musicians that represented this diverse community, we collaborated with the one place that has been their sense of home for 42 years. A little restaurant called Ravi.

We turned this four-decade-old local Dubai restaurant into a global pop culture phenomenon by redesigning the iconic adidas Superstar sneakers to create the SUPERSTAR RAVI’s.

The first-ever sneaker by the brand dedicated to a restaurant. Because this local street food favourite was so much more. It was the identity of the people who've grown up enjoying the food. It's been the place that gathered people from all ethnicities or economic backgrounds and gave them a reason to come together despite their differences. United by the flavours that they all share a common love for.

-Stocks sold out in 15 minutes on the adidas online store

-The physical flagship store broke the record for the longest line seen in Dubai

-Shoes started being resold on aftermarket sites for over hundred times the original price

- +32.3M social reach

- +$6.7M PR Value

- 646M PR Reach

Most important of all, this little restaurant that’s almost as old as the city itself, became Dubai’s newest cultural phenomenon.

The UAE is predominantly an immigrant country. Most of the population here comprises of ambitious individuals who have left their home countries to find success in Dubai.

For many, life initially is a struggle. Finding their footing is not always easy. Having to do it all while being away from their homes and families makes it even harder.

Ravi has been a small little restaurant for the past 42 years. For these past four decades, it has played just one role, to give the people who come to make it in Dubai a place that reminds them of home and one that brings them together.

This is where people have always collected to share stories, challenges, hopes, and of course, delicious food.

Over time, Ravi has become inseparable from Dubai. It is more than a restaurant. It is a symbol of the hardworking people that have built this country.