Care for another success story? Probably not. Most likely, your social media feed, your favourite tv shows, even the dinner parties you try to host once in a while, are pretty much overflowing with these already. Itâs the 2010âs: success is everywhere. On the surface, that is.
Because we all sort of know this is a mirage. Success, in the real sense, isnât really about taking that selfie by an infinity pool and posting it straight to Instagram. Or, it could be, if infinity pools is what you truly value â nothing wrong in dedicating ones life to the perfect swim. You get the point though: Real success isnât trying to achieve someone elseâs idea of whatever constitutes a #winning lifestyle. Real success is the things that makes you happy because you love doing them.
Out of that idea, the adidas x Sneakersnstuff Celebrate Success pack was conceived, the next installment in adidas ongoing collaboration with the Stockholm based sneaker emporium. When Sneakersnstuff opened for business in Stockholmâs Södermalm district in the late 90âs, more than anything else it was a catalyst for founders Erik Fagerlind and Peter Janssonâs love for sneaker and hip hop culture. In Swedish terms they were pioneers, from there things grew, and Sneakersnstuff is now a success story, in the real sense: Branches in London and Paris, worldwide internet reach, et cetera â but also a business crafted from love, still rooted in the values gave birth to it.
There are lessons to be learned here, and Ben Gorham did. As one of the ambassadors of the Celebrate Success pack, he cites his old friends Erik and Peter as main inspirations when launching his own, now global, perfume house Byredo.
Sabina Ddumba, breakout singer and another Celebrate Success ambassador, keeps it in the family â but also goes her own way. Coming from a Ugandan background, she went to a Christian school in Stockholm. Now, at 22, coming of age singing gospel and studying whatever parts of the holy scriptures she felt spoke to her, has given her a deeply rooted sense of self and where to go next.
Babba Canales is on the same page. Success to our third ambassador is about self-fulfillment, but also about progressing society as a whole. Growing up in a Swedish small town with immigrant parents who didnât speak the language, she knows a thing or two about pinpointing old structures â and disrupting them. Now she has a lead position at one of the worldâs fastest growing start-up companies.
Respect your values, in other words. Call it a Swedish thing â people here pride themselves in keeping both feet on the ground. Why not wear good shoes while youâre at it?