Adidas Stan Smith

Adidas Stan Smith, Stan Smith Trainers

Adidas Stan Smith is a tennis shoe made by adidas. Stan Smith was an American tennis star of the 1960's and 70's. Adidas approached him to endorse of the Haillet shoe in 1971. The shoe, usually made with a leather upper, has a simple design and unlike most of the adidas range has no external stripes. Instead there are three rows of perforations in the same pattern. There is a sketched picture of the tennis player on the tongue of the shoe. Adidas re-issued the Stan Smith at the turn of the 21st century and these shoes have become extremely popular especially in the UK. Stan Smith are the footwear of choice by Rick Deckard, Blade Runner, in a full black boot leather design (the Adidas Logo's have been polished out) another 'retrofit' design which permeates throughout the film.

Unknown to many consumers is that the earliest version of this shoe was produced in 1964 for French tennis star Robert Haillet. Unlike later models, it had a thick outsole no adidas trefoil on the heel and Haillet's name was on the side.  In 1965, American tennis pro Stan Smith came to the attention of Adidas.  Haillet's name was replaced with Smith's, and later models had Stan's Smith's face and signature on the tongue.  Over the years, the Stan Smith has always ended up in the Adidas catalogue: never getting old or out of date, it has remained up to par with the standard of consumers.  It has been produced in a wide range of colourways and a Velcro edition was even released in the mid 1990's.

Sometimes less is more, and this is certainly the case with the adidas Stan Smith. This is another entry that has been included in the Hall of Fame due to the enduring quality of the design and the long-lasting effect it has had on trainer design and culture. Some shoes are popular in oue country and not another, but the shoe we know as the Stan Smith is one of the few designs that you will see in every city in the world.

Ignore the posturing of the purists, these are classic shoes that seem to look good with everything. Wear them with pride.