Stan Smith
The adidas Stan Smith is a white leather tennis shoe with a coloured heel tab and a portrait of American tennis player Stan Smith on the tongue. Instead of stitched stripes it has three rows of small holes, which makes it one of the most understated models from adidas. It works just as easily under a suit as with jeans.
The history of the adidas Stan Smith
The shoe started out in the mid-1960s as a tennis shoe named after French player Robert Haillet. In the early 1970s the American Stan Smith became its new face. For a few years both names appeared on the shoe, with Smith’s face on the tongue, until adidas settled on his name for good in 1978.
After that, the Stan Smith grew into one of the best-known white sneakers. Around 2012 adidas took it off the shelves for a while, only to bring it back with plenty of attention in 2014. Since then it has been a permanent part of the Originals line.
Design and materials
The upper is smooth leather, with three perforated rows where you would normally see the stripes. At the back sits the heel tab, classically in green or navy, and the tongue carries Stan Smith’s portrait and name. A flat rubber cupsole keeps the profile low.
Besides leather there are versions with Primegreen, a material made partly from recycled content. On some editions adidas goes further, such as the Freizeit, which gets a thicker sole with a chunky tread.
Popular Stan Smith colorways
- Stan Smith Freizeit ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’: black patent leather with white laces and SpongeBob on the tongue, on the thicker Freizeit sole.
- Stan Smith ‘Triple White’: all white, including the heel tab.
- Stan Smith x BAPE ‘ABC Camo’: white leather with A Bathing Ape’s ABC Camo print as an accent.
- Stan Smith Forever Primegreen ‘White’: the familiar white and green combination, made with Primegreen.
- Stan Smith ‘Core White New Navy’: white with a navy heel tab.
What is the difference between the Stan Smith and the Samba?
Both are low, flat adidas sneakers, but they come from different sports. The Stan Smith is a tennis shoe with a smooth, almost logo-free upper and a white sole. The adidas Samba comes from indoor football and has visible stripes, a suede toe overlay and usually a gum sole. If you want a white leather classic with a rubber toe, the adidas Superstar is the alternative.
How does the adidas Stan Smith fit?
According to adidas, the Stan Smith fits true to size, so you order your usual adidas size. That applies to men’s and women’s versions and to pairs in other materials too. The leather barely stretches, so do not go smaller hoping it will give later. If you have wide feet, half a size up is often more comfortable.
Buy the adidas Stan Smith at WOOVIN
On WOOVIN you will find the Stan Smith from all white and white with navy to collaborations with BAPE and SpongeBob. If you want a pair that goes with everything, choose white with a green or blue heel tab. Among the white versions, the difference mostly lies in the heel tab and tongue, so look closely at those before you order.
