James Whitner, founder of The Whitaker Group, has long been one of sneaker culture’s most intentional collaborators, known for his deeply narrative-driven work with Jordan Brand and Nike through banners like A Ma Maniére and Social Status. So when The Whitaker Group announced a formal project with adidas, it turned heads and for good reason.
The two parties are calling it Do Not Duplicate, a multi-season platform built around creative authorship and the lived expression of Blackness. The name itself sets the tone. This isn’t framed as a traditional partnership; it’s positioned as a refusal to follow formula, chase trends, or let algorithms define what culture looks like.
The footwear component will be tightly limited, with each release from Year 1 capped at 250-500 pairs to reinforce the platform’s emphasis on personal expression over mass production. Drops will roll out in thematic waves throughout 2026, accompanied by short films and cultural activations that dig into the push and pull between data-driven systems and human instinct.
“Our creativity comes from lived experience, not borrowed references,” Whitner said of the project. “That is not something that can be copied.”
The Whitaker Group’s banners, A Ma Maniére, Social Status, APB, and JAIDE, all posted videos on Instagram to introduce the collaboration, featuring identical twins performing ordinary tasks such as laundry or sipping coffee as the campaign’s anchor. Check them out below.
Stay tuned to Modern Notoriety for more details on specific releases and visuals throughout the year.