Like Chucks, the Superstar began life as a basketball performance shoe from around 1969. Historically, it was the first low top with full upper leather basketball shoe. Then there is the iconic toe protection design known as "shell toe". With these designs, it became popular amongst basketball players during that period. Then, from the court, its popularity spilled over to the streets. It was the preferred choice of footwear by most rap musicians, most popularly by seminal rap group Run DMC who worn it lace-less, tongues on the outside and paid homage to their beloved shoes in "My adidas". Even nu-metal band Korn has a song called A.D.I.D.A.S. (although the content is vastly different from the titled acronym would suggest :)). It continues to be an iconic "sneaker" of choice up to today, with thousand and one variants, hundreds of cross branding collaborations and celebrities endorsement. To be honest, like what other iconic shoes have been suffering from lately, its kind of overkill and too hype-beasty for my personal liking.
The Superstar first captured my imagination when I was a kid in the 80s listening and watching Run DMC with Aerosmith music video "Walk This Way". Back then, Dad could not afford to get me one. I would also noticed kids in my school talking about it sometimes. I actually forgotten about it for a while, as in terms of sneakers, I was more pre-occupied with Chucks during my teenage years (grunge and so-called alternative movement lah). It came back to my attention in the most perculiar manner, in the form of a six inch figure by Hot Toys, called SDU. The figure was wearing a Superstar if I wasn't mistaken. I thought that figure looked cool, with the armor vest, jeans and a pair of Superstar?! Then there was numerous late 80s to early 90s British bands (The Stone Roses' Ian Brown for one) who adopted adidas as their preferred "gear of choice". Point was by then, the mainstream consumers were madly in loves with anything Nike and at one point, Reebok~bok~boks. Still I delayed any purchase until couple of years back when the adidas Superstar Vintage was released. Since Bathing Ape's Super Ape Star is rarer than rare and the first item released from their 35th Anniversary Edition range is virtually too expensive (as well as I kinda put off by the Colonel Sanders lookalike image of Adi Dassler on the shoe), so I decided to plonk down some hard earned cash for a pair. It is slightly slimmer in profile than later Superstar, as well as coloring, the shell toe and entire sole are in off white. This is because generally, original Superstar sole from the early years, were made from different material to prevent marking the court surface and had some sort of chemical in it. Exposed to humidity and perhaps even light, it would gradually turned yellow, which is one of the hallmark of its vintage identity. I added a pair of lace jewels "procured" from my sister discarded adidas for a little bit of "bling" ;). Eventually, as the 90s began, the "Swoosh" would began its titanic grip on basketball shoes and like Superstar had done earlier, influence the consumers choice of preferred basketball related footwear. The assault began with Air Force 1 and Air Jordan, as seen worn by Marty McFly in Back To The Future.
