adidas Originals Stan Smith

The player himself was relevant enough to carry his own name. However, as he retired without winning any grand slam event, fast forwarding a few years, German’s finest sportswear brand decided to start looking for the big-boys.

Stan Smith, Wimbledon’s winner and number one at the time, helped the brand to go across borders. By then, the crisp white sneakers were no longer popular just in Europe. Their reach was immense, starting to target the American audience, thus creating the sportswear giant that we know today.

In fact, many still do not know who Stan Smith is. Well, some think he is a shoe (just like the book, remember?). Who could have guessed that a moustache wearing gentleman would become an icon, ironically for all the wrong reasons. Truth be told, the adidas Originals Stan Smith has been sold more than all the others on the market, there is no other way around it.

The adidas Originals Stan Smith that we know today did not have his name until late 70s. Once changed, all the details were added to the silhouette - in this case, Smith’s picture, with no moustache. Fun fact – Stan Smith once lost to an opponent that was wearing his own shoe.

Designed for clay courts, its so-called technology is considered obsolete. On the other hand, these low tops were embraced by many different cultures, from your dad wearing jeans with a blank-top to Jay Z rapping about them.

The brand has released hundreds if not thousands of iterations of the Stan Smith. From collaborations to Consortium versions, there´s one and only one guarantee: no sneaker will ever beat the adidas Original Stan Smith.