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adidas Originals have done a good job with the Ian Brown collaborations. There might only have been a couple, but they've been an interesting, authentic spin on the musician-brand relationship. That's because Gary at adidas is a big Stone Roses fan and Ian Brown really does love adidas (as is the case with many key characters residing or originating from the north). Those things make a big difference — the Supremebeing collaboration with the bloke from the Arctic Monkeys is an example of musician and brand being a bad idea. We liked 'Unfinished Monkey Business' back in '98. We enjoyed 'Happy Ever After,' 'F.E.A.R' and seeing as our old sister agency U-Dox had a hand in the making of the 'All Ablaze' video, we like that too. But we actually like the shoes he's had a hand in even more. They're so good that we can forgive Ian for inadvertently damning us by inspiring Kasabian to form and make albums of swaggering, vacuous, pseudo-psychedelic lad-rock drivel.

2005's Ian Brown Superstar35 release had waterproof properties to make it suitable for Manchester's inclement weather conditions and was a strong makeup that was one of our favourite non-Consortium pieces in the pack. That shoes still holds up as a great artist makeover, and this ZXZ's (the ZXZ feels like a more appropriate shoe choice than the Superstar too) just as good. It's worth noting that we had to wait longer for a follow-up shoe with 3-Stripes than we did for 'The Second Coming' — but this second coming is a more satisfying return to form. Kazuki Karaishi's a big fan of the Stone Roses, Ride and Joy Division, and we've seen him display those Anglophile tendencies on projects before (we're sure we recall him paying tribute to some of Ian's more memorable attire from the late '80s), so just as the KZK ObyO project comes to an end, this seems like a fitting conclusion, accompanied by the Darwen — a shoe that pays homage to the northern town of Darwen too.

After the Ian Brown ZXZ's launch on Friday, Newburgh Street's No6 adidas Originals store celebrated with an Ian Brown installation dominating the space. Yes, we get drowsy too when we hear talk of "spaces" and "installations" in a retail setting, but this one's pretty good. The gold rendering of Ian's mug on the ZXZ tongue is taken from the 'Unfinished Monkey Business' cover and accordingly, the display of Ian ephemera in the store includes the original reel to reel recorder used for that album and the tapes for key tracks like 'Lions' and 'Can't See Me.' Surrounded by promo goodies, the centrepiece is a vast wooden "shrine" that incorporates the man's influences, heroes and key moments — from Geno and northern soul to the Pistols to Manchester's pre-Madchester sonics, with a minimum of THC politics and illuminati talk, plus some relevant nods to his extensive Japanese fanbase. If you're a fan, go visit. Even if you're not, the shoe's strong enough to shift on its own muted merits.

The ObyO KZK collection, including the Ian Brown ZXZ is on sale at No6 and the Crooked store right now. (Cheers to Nukedunk for the photos!)