You would possibly have seen Moncler and adidas Originals’ latest collaboration quite literally blowing up on social media, with traffic light puffers and bubble-padded trainers filling up your feeds. Designed to push the boundaries of co-creation through a mixture of the brands’ iconic styles (think: three-striped city sportswear meets pillowy outdoor looks) the gathering also finds inspiration in physical boundaries, spanning mountaintops and the metropolitan cities below. Fitting, then, that the accompanying campaign is titled The Art of Explorers, bringing IRL explorers along with AI-generated adventurers and unique, mixed-media sculptures.

More specifically, The Art of Explorers showcases work from a spread of world-class creatives, featuring make-up artist Isamaya Ffrench, photographer Hanna Moon, Dazed 100 set designer Ibby Njoya, and more. The temporary? To check their very own humanoid explorers or “avatars”, with looks from the Moncler x adidas Originals collection serving as a jumping-off point – from signature Moncler silhouettes reimagined with adidas iconography, to ski-inspired outerwear that blends function and form.

The outcomes range from costume designer Kate Tabor’s sculptural garments that cover the body in mirrored shapes, to reflective, vacuum-formed masks from Ffrench and life-size, puffed-up robots by Gary Card. “The concept was very philosophical to me, finding beauty in real things like sculptures, model’s movements, or in-between moments,” says Moon, who captured the project. “It made me take into consideration where we at the moment are and what’s happening to our creativity.” Crossing one more boundary, the physical experience also entered the metaverse via a latest, immersive platform on Moncler’s website.

Wish to see how The Art of Explorers all got here together first-hand? Then you definately’re in luck! In a behind-the-scenes video from the collaboration, shared exclusively via Dazed, a few of the creative roster – which also included stylist Ai Kamoshita and hair stylist Shiori Takahashi – explain the reasoning behind their outlandish creations, and the way they brought them to life. Njoya, for instance, talks drawing inspiration from the Ndebele and Kayan tribes, reminded of their copper neck rings by the neck of a puffer from the gathering, while Card describes the initial vision – “faithful puffer warrior companion” – behind his sculptures.

Watch the video in full above.