Adidas Originals Stan Smith, when the history of sport meets pop
Everyone has dreamed of them, everybody wants them. We are talking about the white Stan Smith sneakers, a model that wrote the history of sport and then of pop culture under the adidas Originals signature. There is no generation that at least once has not succumbed to its charm: a performance model that guarantees class and refinement thanks to its clean silhouette.
The Story of the Stan Smith
Even before inspiring designers and being interpreted according to the taste and creativity of individuals (think of the model with Signature by Stan Smith himself and the collaboration with Disney), these sneakers have profoundly marked the story of sport. The iconic shoes were born in 1964 as a result of the collaboration between adidas Originals and Roberts Haillet, the well-known French tennis player who designs the model himself: white leather, three rows of breathable holes (reminiscent of the brand's stripes) and the inevitable green tab. The current name, however, comes later, when Stanley Roger Smith becomes a star of the red field. From that moment the tongue is decorated with the portrait and signature of the tennis player. It was the year 1978.
From sport to pop culture
There's a particular recognition that makes us understand the popularity of these sneakers: with 22 million pairs sold in a single year, it entered the Guinness Book of Records in 1988. It is in fact the 80s decade when something truly extraordinary happens : from being a tennis shoe, it becomes an accessory symbol of the casual style, also finding consensus in hip hop culture. In 2001 the Stan Smith even became the main character of a 'name drop' in one of the first of Jigga that Nigga, the single from Jay Z's album The Blueprint.
We have to wait until 2014 to find the success of the sneakers icon again when bloggers (at the time there were no influencers) and fashion addicts decide to wear the Stan Smith also during the fashion weeks. Kate Moss, Nigo, Phoebe Philo, David Beckham, Pharrell Williams are among the leading names in this relaunch which also marks the start of the casual chic style.
The sneakers of the sustainable future
After the veg version presented last year, in 2020, adidas Originals has decided to launch the sustainable version of the Stan Smith: a model produced using at least 50% of material obtained through the plastic recycling process. The green philosophy thus writes a new chapter of these iconic sneakers. Long live the Stan Smith.
