Pulled
off the market 2 years ago after several decades as one of the best-selling
trainers of all time (40million pairs have been purchased in total), Adidas
have wisely decided to re-issue their classic Stan Smith trainer style. First
introduced back in 1965 as a tennis shoe named after tennis player Robert
Haillet, the company later re-launched the shoe renamed after player Stan Smith
under a new partnership in 1972. Stan commented that the shoe was one of the
best on the market at the time so he was glad to wear the design: “I was
in the right place at the right time. I just wanted to wear and play with the
most hi-tech equipment, and believe it or not, this was the most hi-tech shoe
at the time. It’s ironic, in a way, that now it’s about as low-tech as you can
get.”
Stan
comments he has been surprised over the years by the popularity of the classic
trainers, insisting he had no idea that they would turn in to future
classics: “I thought it might be a five-year relationship. I feel a pretty
strong relationship to it, so it would feel weird to me to have a different
name on it – it might feel weird to other people, too.”
The
shoe has lived on, lasting through decades and continuing to grow in
popularity, with sales surging in the 90s especially. Smith admits it has baffled
him: “I don’t know why it’s so popular with some sub-cultures – you’d
think they’d want to have something a little more jazzy. Maybe it’s because
they’re a blank canvas – you can wear them with anything. I think it’s their
simplicity that has the attraction.”
The
Stan Smith design is now available in limited colour variations via the Adidas
website.
