Behold, a Vogue headline from 2015: “Still Wearing Stan Smiths? Consider the Superstar.”
It seems kind of funny in hindsight: By the end of 2015, the Superstar was Adidas’ best-selling shoe, and by early 2016 they were inescapable. Eventually, though, the pendulum swung the other way, as the chunky, shell-toed shoe fell out of fashion, making way for the the return of the streamlined Samba. Now, though, no less than Kendall Jenner is pitching the long-dormant Superstar as the next It-shoe.
Jenner served as an ambassador for the brand’s heritage line, Adidas Originals, during the tail end of the Superstar’s 2010s renaissance—and this week, she ran it back: Spotted out in Los Angeles, Jenner paired her black shell-toes with a white sports bra and white pants, the elasticated waistband folded over her hips. She finished off the tonal look with a black-and-white Adidas Originals track jacket complete with the iconic trefoil logo, and a pair of slim black sunnies. Talk about embracing the 2016 revival.
The Superstar has a storied history in pop culture: While it was introduced to the sports world as a basketball shoe in 1969, it broke through in 1986 thanks to the Run-DMC song “My Adidas.” Now, Kendall Jenner is activating our already-heightened 2010s nostalgia. Is that enough to make it trend in the mid-2020s?
