Packer's story: how a family-owned boutique came to partner with adidas To celebrate the relase of the adidas Forum 84 High "Packer"

The adidas Forum was first released in 1984, the year from which the shoe's ID is derived. The brand's initial goal was to create a durable, comfortable basketball shoe with an iconic design, which was recently revisited and relaunched in a more casual key in collaboration with the famous Packer retail store. Due out Friday, February 18, 2022, the adidas Forum 84 high "Packer" is a sequel to the collaboration that binds adidas and Packer for a few years now. A business that has been going on for more than a century, since a small store called Packer Brothers opened its doors in 1907 in Yonkers on Ashburton Avenue, with the dream of selling men's shoes. But how did a place of a few square meters adapt to the frenetic changes of the last century and become a partner of the most important sportswear brands? 

It was this philosophy that prompted Packer to work with Reebook in 2009, when the store collaborated on the original Pump, and in 2015 with Raekwon and Diadora. The PackerxRaekwonxDiadora N9000 "Purple Tape" featured a purple upper, inspired by the cassette through which the Wu-Tang Clan member released his debut solo album titled Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. Other major partnerships followed, including the Asics Gel Lyte 3 "Dirty Buck" and an apparel collaboration with Market that paid homage to Packer's New Jersey pedigree, as well as, of course, successful projects with adidas. A pioneer of the sneaker boutique concept in the U.S., Packer has managed to build lasting relationships with major brands since opening his first location, collaborating with the likes of New Balance, Reebok and ASICS. For some, New York may reign supreme when it comes to the sneaker game, but just across the river is Packer, where the story of street culture has been told and reinvented for more than a century.