“‘..Am -
You got sole
The training shoe that sparked a revolution on the basketball court as well as the high street
is 35 years old. Mark Robertson explores the tireless appeal of ADIDAS SUPERSTAR.
ometimes the old ones are the best. In the hyper— transient world ol' lashion. designs are created. recycled and spat back out with cruel el'liciency. But one sneaker has remained a rock in a sea of liloppy soles and snapped laces: the Adidas Superstar. (‘hunkyp l‘unky and laughably simple. Adidas' most celebrated son it inspired Run l)M("s ‘My Adidas‘ for a kick off »— turns the ripe old age ol‘ 35 this year and its creators have rightly found a plethora ol. ways to celebrate. Superstars were. literally. a painl'ully long time coming. l’re- ll)7(l. basketball players wore a variety ol~ rather arch and ankle unl'riendly. unsophisticated. glorilied plimsolls. Pro Reds and (‘onverse may have enjoyed a renaissance ol~ late but at one point they were the linest sport shoes the world had to offer. When then ascendant sportswear designer Adi Dassler and his team developed shoes for some ol‘ the [S basketball league's linest. Adidas Superstars was born. With its leather tippers. thick rubber sole and emblematic shell-shaped toe. his invention swept away all-comers on the coun. While initially only attainable among the higher echelons ol‘ the NBA. they soon became an object ol‘ desire on and oil the court. A comparison to recent hysteria over iPods is apposite. such was Adidas” almost overnight market dominance. The hip hop explosion of the late 7(ls in New York l‘unher l‘uelled the trainer boom: no self-
respecting B—boy or girl would be seen dead in anything less than a pair of l'resh-out-the-box sneaks. lirom there shelltoes — as Superstars have become commonly known have permeated the catwalks and dominated the high street.
Their lasting appeal can be attributed to many things: their unl‘ussy design and iconic bumper toe make them easily recognisable while their versatility as a sports shoe. street shoe and fashion shoe remains unsurpassed. Bobbito (iarcia. one of the leading authorities on old school sneaker culture and author of sneaker collectors’ bible ll'lit'n' Did )im ([01
THE RANGE IS ALL ABOUT UNDERSTATED ELEGANCE AND SOPHISTICATION
Thirst." l'l‘Cstil‘y Books). explains: ‘lt was the lirst leather basketball shoe ever made. The rubber shelltoe was inspired by the shape ol‘ a seashell. ln '(3‘) a young Harlem ballplayer with no college or pro experience [Joe Hammond] wore them. and they made him a legend.‘
Superstars went through some evolution over three and a hall decades but whether they're low- top. high-top. hall-shell. Mkls or .‘ylklls. they stand alongside Levis 5(ils. the Fred Perry polo shin and
SHOP
Run DMC
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Tj—l 7 Mar 2005 THE LIST 1 1 1