adidas Superstar - Moving Culture
Saturday, July 19, 1986: On their sold-out "Raising Hell" tour, Run DMC stop at Madison Square Garden in New York City when Joseph Simmons aka "Run" suddenly stops the music and asks the 20,000 fans present to take off their shoes and hold them up. An adidas representative named Angelo Anastasio, who was invited not entirely by chance, can hardly believe his eyes: within seconds, Madison Square Garden is transformed into a single sea of sneakers from his employer. Especially frequent is the silhouette of the adidas Superstar which is an indispensable part of Run DMC's look and to which the popular rap band even dedicated its own anthem with the single "My adidas," released two months earlier. Shortly after, Run DMC become the first musicians to have a major endorsement deal, and the adidas Superstar becomes an absolute bestseller as the sneaker of choice for the hip-hop movement, which is burgeoning worldwide.
January 2020.A jump to the present shows that the Superstar is still relevant. Not least the spectacular 2015 "Supercolor Pack", in which tastemaker Pharrell Williams dipped the Superstar in no less than 50 different colors, cemented the cult shoe's unique status in the sneaker universe. The premiere collab with A Bathing Ape is also celebrated to this day, and the "Super Ape Star" is revered by collectors worldwide. A silhouette that so bravuraly stands the test of time is a rarity and for us at asphaltgold, reason enough to pay proper homage to the superstar. Under the motto "Moving Culture", we produced a video that is all about the inseparable connection between music and youth culture and the adidas Superstar. To a custom tune by Lukas Lehmann and Philipp Rittmannsperger, operators of Lui Hill Studio, dancer Emilia Tomm shows her choreographic skills. We hope you enjoy watching and say "Happy birthday, Superstar"!
Origin in US basketball
As befits an icon, the shoe, also known as the "Shell Toe" due to its shell-like rubber cap in the toe area, has an extensive history. Horst Dassler is to thank for the fact that it saw the light of day at all. The son of Adi Dassler was inspired by the idea of further expanding the brand founded by his father in 1949. After taking over the reins at adidas France, he tried to gain a foothold in the USA. On the advice of his partner Chris Severn, a connoisseur of the American market, Horst Dassler had a new type of innovative basketball shoe developed. The Converse All Star and Pro-Keds Royal models prevalent in basketball at the time were made of canvas fabric and repeatedly caused injuries to players due to their lack of stability. Dassler's solution: a leather shoe that was easy on the ankles, had significantly more grip thanks to its sole, and was about 30% lighter than competing alternatives.
Initially received with a great deal of skepticism after its appearance in 1964, Dassler and Severn found their first customers for the shoe, which was christened "Supergrip" (or " Pro Model" in the high-top version), in the San Diego Rockets. The new model gradually made its way into the NBA, and when the Boston Celtics finally won the title in Supergrips in 1969, adidas had finally arrived in US basketball.
The name of his new best-seller was still a thorn in Dassler's side, however, as "Supergrip" sounded considerably less majestic than the model names of his competitors. Et voilá: The Superstar was born, bringing with it not only a new name but also performance improvements. An outfitter contract agreed in 1976 with Kareem "Sky Hook" Abdul-Jabbar, undoubtedly the outstanding basketball player of his time, cemented the Herzogenaurach company's market leadership.
Superstar defies the laws of the market
Even though adidas was gradually knocked off its throne in the basketball sector from the mid-1980s onwards (decisively by the Jordan Brand), the global popularity of the superstar never waned in the aftermath. Still popular in the hip-hop scene, skaters discovered the shoe alongside grunge and punk rock bands, especially when it was launched at the turn of the millennium as the Superstar II in an updated version with improved materials and a thicker padded tongue.
Whether Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Run DMC or Pharrell Williams - the list of the Superstar's ambassadors is peppered with big names and a decisive factor that the shoe has lost none of its immense charisma even half a century after its market launch. adidas Superstar - Moving Culture!
Author: Asphaltgold |