Adidas Stan Smith
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 Over the years, the Stan Smith has always ended up in the Adidas catalogue: never getting old or out of date, it has remained up to par with the standard of consumers.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.
Introduced way back in 1965, the sneaker was unique as the first all-leather performance tennis shoe. However, the shoe ws also unique visually. Instead of the usual external three adidas stripes, there are three rows of perforations through the leather uppper.
However, the shoe did not always exhibit Stan Smith’s famous face on the tongue of the shoe. When first introduced the model was originally endorsed by a lesser-known French tennis player, Robert Haillet. Then it was Mr Haillett’s name on the tongue. History took another turn when in 1971, the shoes were endorsed n renamed after Stan Smith an american famous tennis player.
Since then it has gone on to be one of the best-selling shoes of all time, having sold more than 30 million pairs. The model was initially released only in classic white, but as they continue to grow in popularity they have since been released in may colors, including navy, red and black, also a model with Velcro straps.
Reissued man times over the years, the rarest and most sought after shoes are the early models, when Stan’s iconic smiling face was stamped in gold. The ‘Made in France’ issue is also highly sought after by collectors.
Ignore the posturing of the purists, these are classic shoes that seem to look good with everything. Wear them with pride.
Adidas Stan Smith
First Released: 1964
Original Purpose: Tennis
Example Shown: Reissues
Notes: A high- top version was released into the market in 2003.