When we travelled to Berlin last week for the exclusive launch event of the #miEQT SUPPORT, we took the opportunity to talk to one of the creative minds behind the miadidas configurator. Enjoy our "#miEQT INTERVIEW - 10 questions for Till Jagla"!

Hello Till! Please introduce yourself briefly to our readers! Who are you and what do you do?
Hi, my name is Till Jagla, I'm 36 years old and I've been working at adidas Originals for 6 years. I am responsible for all customisation and running styles for adidas Originals.

miadidas was completely relaunched two years ago. How did that come about?
adidas decided to relaunch the miadidas configurator because it wasn't getting enough attention over the last few years. We started slowly, with a small budget and a small team, but it really paid off. Now it is an important part of the " Three Stripes"! Just think of the miadidas Superstar, the Stan Smith or the incredible ZX Flux photo app!

 

Individualisation seems to be a big thing at the moment. Where does this success come from?
Individualisation has always been an issue for many people when it comes to clothes and fashion. Decades ago, people already started cutting off their jeans or adding whipstitches to their clothes. Somewhere along the way, this also reached the sneaker scene and industry. Sneakerheads love a certain individuality. And certainly there is a great potential for adidas, because there are hundreds and thousands of possibilities at miadidas! Today, almost nothing is impossible!

Why did you choose Equipment Support as the latest addition to miadidas?
Well, until now we have always followed the strategy of focusing on certain "mainstream" product families like the Stan Smith, the ZX FLUX or the Tubular. EQT didn't play a big role in our thinking when we relaunched miadidas. Now we want to give something back to all the sneakerheads because we know they really love the EQT series!

So far, many shoes have been featured in miadidas - do you have a personal favourite?
This might sound weird, but it's definitely the Adilette - it's crazy how a beach shoe is now seen from a completely different angle! It was a product that no one really had on their radar, but it's turned out to be pretty successful! The ZX Flux photo app was also a huge success - people could suddenly create colour combinations with their own prints and patterns - I still love it a lot!

 

What is important for you when it comes to individualisation?
I think identity is the most important thing. You can change materials and colours and maybe even customise the brand of a shoe, but you should always try to keep the DNA of a sneaker. You can customise the Stan Smith a thousand times, but in the end it should still be a Stan Smith!

Apart from miadidas - what is your favourite sneaker silhouette? What does a sneaker have to have to be interesting to you?
First of all, I'm a big fan of the Equipment series. My favourite silhouette is probably the Guidance - I can't get enough of those! In general, I'm not the "hunter" type. It's not all about the hype. But what I really like in general are "hybrids". For example, I'm totally in love with the Ultraboost Support. Taking a classic upper from the archives and combining it with the best midsole the whole industry has to offer - that's just great and I actually never want to take them off.

What can we expect from miadidas in 2016?
First of all, we will continue with our strong silhouettes like the Stan Smith and the Superstar. One silhouette that is becoming more and more important is the Tubular. It works like a filter for us. We can take influences from the fashion industry and other trends and turn them into sneakers in a very short time. It's great to test and see if people like specific materials and so on. There will definitely be some new features in 2016. Another big thing is the NMD we just released - it's a great product! We will see what we can do with the NMD in terms of customisations. There will definitely be something happening, but I can't say more about it yet!

Something personal to finish with: Your Instagram feed and Facebook blog are very successful in the sneaker community. Do you think this is an advantage for a brand like adidas?
First and foremost it's my hobby, I really like to think of it as a modern digital photo album. But in general I would say yes, it's always an advantage for a brand if the employees can identify with who you are and what you do - you always have to keep an ear to the street and watch the market - that's the only way to be ahead of others!

 

You want to stay up to date on what Till and myadidas are up to? Follow him here and here!