Adidas sneaker styles

 Nylon and Suede Upper fabric label Leather reinforcement This legendary original OG shoe. The Adidas Arizona Comfort has a particularly cool vintage cachet. Adidas is a German brand specializing in the manufacture of sporting goods and Streetwear, created in August 1949 by Adolph Dassler in Germany. The brand was originally created for running and for sport in general, and is now one of the most famous sports equipment manufacturers in the world.

 Adidas’ all-time best selling sneaker, the Stan Smith , wasn’t always the Stan Smith. Initially, in 1965, the shoe was dubbed the Adidas Robert Haillet, a signature model for the French tennis pro of the same name. Horst Dassler, the son of Adolph Dassler, both conceptualized and produced the shoe.  It was the first leather tennis sneaker when all others were manufactured in canvas. It wasn’t until his US Open win in 1971 and a subsequent Wimbledon victory in 1972 that Adidas passed on the shoe to Stan Smith following Haillet’s retirement.  However, the shoe’s title didn’t officially change to the Adidas Stan Smith until 1978. Adidas has reissued the Stan several times since the late ‘80s, and it serves as one of the best lifestyle sneakers from any brand.

 While sharing the shell-toe of the Superstar, the mid-top Adidas Pro Model released long before its high-profile sibling.  A prominent basketball shoe, thanks in large to its premium leather makeup, the silhouette was a breath of fresh air to basketball players that had grown weary of canvas sneakers.  NBA Hall of Famer, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, became the face of the Pro Model after signing an endorsement deal with the brand in 1976.

 Releasing back in 1972, this sneaker rarely receives much mention. The adidas SL72 is a rare name in discussions on this very topic due to its low profile status. In totality, it’s a bit of an underwhelming build. Synthetic base, suede overlays, it’s all fairly standard. And yet, it stands as one of the best selling adidas shoes of all time. Some of that has to do with the more underappreciated design qualities. For instance, the toe area. Just below the first layer of overlays is a furry suede section. An educated guess would suggest this was something of an attempt at a mudguard. The traction is another impressive addition here. It’s fairly grippy, even today. Back when it debuts, that outsole leads the charge in the market’s collection of elite traction models. The synthetic base also makes for a durable shoe with a versatile color profile. This is the sort of thinking and design that goes into similar shoes, such as the adidas Haven.

 The adidas Gazelle is a relatively early example of the brand’s mastery of running sneakers. This shoe earns a reputation more for how affordable and dynamic it is as a style item these days. The array of color choices, most of which are bold in their finishes, makes the Gazelle something of a visual stunner. The most notable iteration of this sneaker is the one we all know it for: Blue Suede. This colorway persists as one of the brand’s top sellers among any shoe because it also appeals to those of us who aren’t shoe fanatics. It’s very similar to models such as the Superstar and Stan Smith in this way. The appeal is universal rather than niche. The choice to go with suede for this shoe is an interesting one for adidas. Early on, this isn’t exactly a home run of a material pick. Suede is a respectable durability option, but not quite as popular more synthetic choices in the 60s. When the shoe debuts in 1968, that story changes. The release of the Gazelle just happens to foresh...

 A very hard truth that few mentions when narrating the history of the Adidas Superstar is that this shoe was dead in the water before RUN DMC and the emergence of hip-hop in the late ‘80s. Financially, Adidas was on its last leg and in dire need of a win. Rev Run, DMC and Jam Master Jay were the lifeline the brand desperately needed but never knew they’d get.  To that end, so was Gerald Deas, a member of the alt-rap group Creative Funk, who in 1985 released the song “Felon Sneakers.”  The anti-sneaker rap song was against groups like RUN DMC wearing so-called “d-boy sneakers”—specifically, wearing them without laces which prison inmates often did as laces (on the inside) were considered makeshift weapons.  In response, RUN DMC released “My Adidas” in 1986 to critical and cultural acclaim. It was the turning point Adidas needed and can’t be overstated as a seminal moment in not just Adidas history but in sneaker culture as a whole.