Celebrating 50 Years of adidas Superstar with Finish Line
Originally published on Sneaker News (July 12, 2019) / Role: Creative Direction + Photography
Fifty years. It’s been a full half-century since the adidas Superstar first made its debut as a low-top version of the Pro Model basketball shoe, and since then, the low-cut design affectionately dubbed the “shelltoe” by its fervent flock of fans has become a worldwide cultural staple. Although it was indeed created as a piece of high-performance hoops footwear and even worn on-court by luminaries like the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, it’s since shifted courses and become a beloved lifestyle silhouette, lauded by skate, street, and sport cultures alike. It’s been thrust in front of adoring audiences by Run-DMC in the ‘80s and served as a collaborative centerpiece for some of the most influential fashion brands in the world during the ‘90s, ‘00s, and the ‘10s. It’s often imitated, but it’s never been duplicated, and to this day, there’s still nothing quite like it.
Now, entering its sixth decade on the market, the Superstar’s look is still as clean and crisp as it has ever been. It has outlasted trends, outlived many a flash in the pan, remained a top seller, and is still an important cultural signifier — an extremely versatile one at that. No matter if you’re rocking it with some stiff selvedge denim or using it to add a little alternate flair to your standard suit-and-tie ensemble, it just flat-out works, and that’s the mark of a truly timeless design.
Although there’s a veritable plethora of colorways to choose from, three versions of this Three Stripes classic stand head and shoulders above the rest: white/black, inverse black/white, and the masterfully menacing black/black. Looking to keep things clean and crisp? Reach for the white/black. It presents a timeless look and adds a tasteful amount of splendor with its gold midfoot stamp and tongue badge. You’d rather be a touch more subtle? Snag a black/white pair without having to sacrifice those appealing gold accents. And if your sartorial motives are moving towards monochromatic, you’re covered with the all-black pair. All three can be found at retailers like Finish Line, so an extensive hunt isn’t necessary either. Who said finding a shoe that can complete any ensemble has to be difficult?
SUPERSTAR
White / Black / Gold
SUPERSTAR
Black / White / Black
SUPERSTAR
Black / Black / Black
In short, the adidas Superstar is everything you could ask for in a lifestyle shoe. It’s timeless, but not old-fashioned. It’s hip-hop. It’s punk rock. It’s hoops. It’s skate. It’s refined, yet free-spirited. It’s really whatever you want it to be, and with the second half of its first century on the market set to kick off, now’s your chance to help write its next chapter.
It simply goes with everything, and that’s just one of the reasons why it remains among the best-selling sneakers period, quarter after quarter.
Truthfully speaking, there aren’t any shoes out in the market that are so powerfully identifiable. That in turn makes the “shelltoe” one of the most significant products in the history of consumerism as a whole, and certainly on the tier of “hall of fame” when it comes to sneaker culture. We’ve laid out exactly why it’s so versatile without compromising its essence, so it’s now time to re-up on this mainstay classic – and you can do so by getting your pair now directly from Finish Line.