Adidas Superstar: fashion, culture or just a shoe?

Is it Nike’s Air Ship, Converse’s Chuck Taylor All Star or Nike’s Cortez with the iconic sole? No, I don’t think so. The «OG» title when it comes to sneakers goes to the global brand from tranquil Herzogenaurach, Adidas. And the name of the shoe says it all: Superstar.

And suddenly, everyone wants the shoe with the three stripes

It’s 19 July 1986 in Madison Square Garden, New York. Run DMC’s touring in support of their third album «Raising Hell». Angelo Anastasio is invited to the concert in Manhattan. With good reason. To much disbelief, the manager of the three striped brand appears at the gig. During the song «My Adidas», the rappers encourage the audience to hold up their Adidas clothes and shoes.

The rest is history. Anastasio is so overwhelmed by the event that he subsequently gives Run DMC a sponsorship contract with Adidas. The first sneaker collaboration outside of sports is sealed. This contract paves the way for further shoe deals in the music industry and makes the inconspicuous former basketball shoe of the 70s a «superstar» virtually overnight. It was the equivalent to what we’d now call viral.

I love me my Adidas

In 1986 I was 18, and hip-hop was my music. Like it does today, the Adidas Superstar belonged on my shoe shelf then just as much as Run DMC belongs on my playlist. So I was happy when I noticed this gem of a shoe in our shop.

The unique thing about this model? The design comes from British fashion label Wales Bonner. Grace Wales Bonner founded her label after graduating from Central Saint Martins College in 2014, originally as a menswear brand. Womenswear was added later. She’s received numerous awards, including the LVMH Young Designer Prize (2016), and she’s the winner of the British Fashion Council/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund (2019). Wales Bonner has worked with brands such as Adidas Originals, Anderson & Sheppard and Dior.

According to Adidas, the shoe designed for the autumn/winter 2024 collection combines tradition and modernity in a homage to the hip-hop movement. Wales Bonner’s Superstar replaces the classic soft leather upper with crocodile-textured cowhide. The three stripes have the same look, the tongue and heel area are made of nubuck. Metallic gold accents round off the look. In addition, one shoe comes with Wales Bonner branding, the other with Adidas Superstar branding – both made of gold foil.

Fashion, culture or just a shoe?

Adidas’ Superstar with the facelift by Wales Bonner costs two to three times as much as a «normal» pair, depending on the model. In this respect, only a few hardcore fans and collectors will probably be interested in this shoe. Everyone else probably just thinks it’s another shoe, not a fashion statement or piece of cultural history. For me, Adidas’ Superstar are everything in one, regardless of whether they’ve been spiced up by a trendy fashion label or not.

Sneakers

adidas Superstar

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Sneakers

adidas Superstar

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