I have always loved sneakers but my collection has generally been functional. I’d buy a couple of pairs, wear them till they fall apart and then replace. A friend of mine is a serious head though, particularly Air Jordans, and has a wardrobe with boxes upon boxes stacked. In the last two years, I’ve been gradually acquiring a little sneaker game, building a collection based primarily on nostalgia. I tend to lean towards kicks I wore growing up, including the Adidas Samba and Superstar II (shell toes), Nike Air Force 1 and Cortez, Puma Clyde, etc. The list of desired additions to collection is being added to on a constant basis so you can imagine my excitement at the delivery of a pair of adidas Stan Smith.

Stan Smith is a former American tennis player and world #1 whose relationship with Adidas started in the late 60s/early 70s when he endorsed what was initially designed as a tennis shoe. It has been reincarnated a couple of times since then, generally staying very close to the original design and, while it has a minimalist and clean feel, what stands out is the sketch of Stan Smith with signature on the tongue.

The launch pack came with a pair of normal sized and miniature Stan Smiths as well as stickers of the Stan Smith tongue sketch with my face and name on it, an ingenious way to push the sneaker. A friend did express some concern around how it implies that one is endorsing Adidas and the sneaker but it is a clever way of building attention and traction.

The new collection comes in traditional white leather with different coloured heel tabs, in particular red, blue and green. There’s also an black leather with a blue heel tab. Definitely a welcome addition to my humble collection. Thinking the black as well as white with red heel tab would fit nicely as well.

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