words // Brandon Richard
Next spring, the iconic Stan Smith pro model will make its long-awaited return to retail. Absent from shelves for the past few seasons, the classic silhouette has been reinvigorated and updated for present day, while staying true to the look and shape of the original.
Tennis legend Stan Smith began wearing the world's first ever leather tennis shoe in 1971, when he won the US Open on grass and the Davis Cup on clay with the American team. He again wore the classic model for his 1972 Wimbledon win.
Originally introduced and developed for the French tennis player Robert Haillet in the mid-1960s, the name of Stan Smith was added to the tennis shoe, alongside Haillet’s, at the start of the 70s, before it was designated as the signature sneaker of Smith in '72. Since its debut as a tennis shoe, the Stan Smith has become adidas best-selling shoe of all-time, with more than 40 million pairs sold.
The Stan Smith will resurface with the launch of two premium collections in F/W '13. This will be exclusively available at adidas Consortium stores, before the full range of new Stan Smiths are rolled out January 2014 with a second drop in April 2014.
Check out the adidas Archive for more on Stan Smith.
