Side Kicks Streetwear • Global Release Guide
Updated: 1 September 2026
About the release
Pharrell keeps digging into the adidas archive, and this time it's an amphibious cult classic. The VIRGINIA Watermoc — nicknamed the 'Starfish' by Pharrell himself to sit alongside his existing 'Jellyfish' silhouette — is a modern reinterpretation of the 1997 adidas Equipment Water Mo. Officially unveiled during Paris Fashion Week, the shoe drops in three colourways for launch — yellow, blue and black, with two more (red and green) already teased.
Every colourway leans into a healthy dose of reflective silver across the upper. The build features a woven nylon, mesh and neoprene upper, a bungee speed-lacing system with a Velcro-fastened strap over the top, and multiple cut-outs for water drainage. Pharrell's most distinctive addition is a new midfoot strap that wraps from the medial collar across the foot and secures with an elastic cord on the lateral side. Underfoot, the sole borrows directly from the 2005 Carnuba Adventure Moc — a lugged rubber outsole for wet-surface traction and moderate terrain. 'Virginia' branding lands on the insole and the strap interior.
adidas Adistar Jellyfish Pharrell Williams Royal Blue
From the same Pharrell x adidas VIRGINIA line
Shop Now →TL;DR – Pharrell x adidas VIRGINIA Watermoc 'Starfish' Release Date, Price & Where to Buy
- Global release: September 2026 via adidas Confirmed app and select retailers
- Model: adidas VIRGINIA Watermoc (nicknamed 'Starfish' by Pharrell)
- Launch colourways: Yellow, Blue, Black (with Red and Green already teased for later)
- UK retail price: TBC
- US retail price: $140
- Sizing: Unisex
- Where to buy: adidas Confirmed app, adidas.com and select global retailers
- Reference silhouette: 1997 adidas Equipment Water Mo (upper), 2005 Carnuba Adventure Moc (outsole)
- Key details: Woven nylon / mesh / neoprene upper, reflective silver detailing across upper, bungee speed-lacing with Velcro cover, midfoot strap with elastic cord closure, multiple water-drainage cut-outs, reinforced rubber toe cap, lugged rubber outsole for wet traction, 'Virginia' insole and strap-interior branding
Release date and price
The Pharrell x adidas VIRGINIA Watermoc 'Starfish' releases in September 2026 through adidas.com, the adidas Confirmed app, and select global retailers. US retail is $140. UK pricing and specific UK release date remain to be confirmed by adidas.
Given the momentum around Pharrell's VIRGINIA line — the Jellyfish has been ramping up in both drop frequency and stock volume across 2026 — expect the Watermoc to follow the same pattern. First-drop colourways typically move quickly on Confirmed before wider retail restocks land in the following weeks.
Design and details
The Watermoc is a genuinely different silhouette in the VIRGINIA line. Where the Jellyfish leans into exaggerated runner proportions, the Watermoc pulls in the opposite direction — a low, utilitarian moc-style build with proper functional water-shoe language. It's the most technically-anchored piece Pharrell has done with adidas so far.
Woven nylon and neoprene upper
The upper combines woven nylon, mesh and neoprene in a slip-on-friendly build, with reflective silver detailing as a consistent focal point across all three launch colours. Multiple cut-outs through the mesh sections handle water drainage properly — this isn't a fashion-forward interpretation of a water shoe, it's a functional water shoe with Pharrell's aesthetic sitting on top of it.
The midfoot strap and elastic cord
Pharrell's biggest design addition. The midfoot strap extends from the medial side of the collar, wraps across the foot, and secures on the lateral side via an elastic cord. It gives the shoe a more secure lock-in than the original 1997 Water Mo, and it's the shoe's most distinctive visual detail. Sits over a bungee speed-lacing system covered by a Velcro-fastened flap.
Carnuba Adventure Moc sole unit
Underfoot, adidas has borrowed directly from the archival 2005 Carnuba Adventure Moc — a moderate-lug rubber outsole with a grooved midsole, built for traction on wet surfaces and mixed terrain. It's the same tooling that anchored adidas's mid-2000s Adventure initiative, and it makes the Watermoc genuinely functional beyond fashion use. A reinforced rubber toe cap handles impact durability.
Colourway breakdown
The black pair goes tonal — namesake black across the tongue, outsole and most of the upper, with reflective silver hits. The yellow shares near-identical colour-blocking to the black, just with yellow taking the accent zones around the toe and strap. The blue is the loudest — beyond the base blue, it adds baby pink accents and a translucent sole, making it the most visually distinctive of the three launch pairs.
Pharrell x adidas VIRGINIA Watermoc images
Credit: adidas
The VIRGINIA line, the Starfish nickname and Pharrell's archive strategy
Pharrell's VIRGINIA line with adidas has become one of the more consistent design programmes in the brand's collab calendar. The Jellyfish has anchored the line so far — an exaggerated runner silhouette that's had multiple colourway drops and is only ramping up in September with 'Timber Brown' and 'Brown / Frozen Green' pairs. The Vario Flat 'Earther' and other pieces have widened the line further, and this Watermoc gives Pharrell his most technically distinct silhouette yet — properly different from anything else in VIRGINIA.
The 'Starfish' nickname — Pharrell coined it in an Instagram post — sits alongside the Jellyfish as part of the broader aquatic language he's been building. It's not just aesthetic branding; the line is genuinely referencing marine forms and outdoor / water-adjacent function. Combined with Pharrell's ongoing habit of pulling from adidas's less-obvious archive corners (the Water Mo, the Carnuba Adventure Moc), the strategy is clearly to make VIRGINIA an ongoing platform for archival deep-dives rather than a one-hit collab.
Where to buy
The Pharrell x adidas VIRGINIA Watermoc 'Starfish' releases in September 2026 via adidas.com, the adidas Confirmed app, and select global retailers. UK pricing TBC. Browse all Pharrell collabs and the wider adidas archive on Side Kicks.
adidas Adistar Jellyfish Pharrell Williams Triple Black
The tonal VIRGINIA Jellyfish, in stock now
Shop Now →FAQ
When does the Pharrell x adidas VIRGINIA Watermoc release?
The Watermoc releases in September 2026 through adidas.com, the adidas Confirmed app, and select global retailers. Specific UK release date is yet to be confirmed by adidas.
How much does the VIRGINIA Watermoc cost?
US retail is $140. UK pricing has not yet been confirmed by adidas.
Why is it called the 'Starfish'?
Pharrell coined the 'Starfish' nickname in an Instagram post, aligning the Watermoc with his existing 'Jellyfish' silhouette. It's part of a broader aquatic naming and design language he's been building through the wider adidas VIRGINIA line.
Is this actually a functional water shoe?
Yes. The upper combines woven nylon, mesh and neoprene with multiple cut-outs for water drainage, and the outsole borrows directly from the 2005 Carnuba Adventure Moc — a lugged rubber unit built for wet-surface traction and moderate terrain. It's a working water shoe with Pharrell's design language sitting on top, not a fashion piece styled to look aquatic.
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