In celebration of 50 years since the first release of the Adidas Superstar way back in the 70s, Adidas has collaborated with one of their most recent celebrity artists signed under The Three Stripes, Beyoncé. Initially introduced as a basketball sneaker half a century ago, the Adidas Superstar has since seen immense success, popularity and transformation over the handful of decades since its debut. From initially being played in the basketball court, to being a popular dancing shoe in the hip-hop scene, to being a staple in streetwear fashion, this sneaker has been everywhere and has seen it all. The Superstar might just be Adidas’ most iconic sneaker in its long, rich line of sneaker history, which makes it all the more fitting that they celebrate by collaborating with one of the most popular icons in the world.
Beyoncé, who first signed with Adidas last year, joins the list of big-name celebrities/artists who have had their own signature line with the German brand, most notably Kanye West and Pharrell Williams, who have seen great success with their respective collaborations. Ivy Park, which is the name of Beyoncé’s clothing and footwear line with Adidas, is predominantly athleisure wear for women. Kasper Rorsted, CEO of The Three Stripes, said that Beyoncé is “probably the most influential female entertainer in the world today.” Moreover, a major component of the 2020 campaign of Adidas will focus on the female consumer, and what better way to potentially reach that specific target market of theirs than by working with the Queen Bey herself.
With regard to the design and appearance of the shoe, elements that remain true to the original Superstar are still very evident with the iconic white shell-toe upper, white leather paneling, black Three Stripes branding on either side, and coming in the classic Cloud White/Core Black/Off White colorway. Where Beyoncé puts her stamp and imprint on this shoe in terms of design and aesthetic is what makes this sneaker most distinct. Appropriately named the Beyoncé x Adidas Superstar “Platform,” a raised, double-stacked platform rubber outsole to add extra height is wrapped around the iconic shell-toe upper. Not only is this iteration of the shoe taller with double midsoles, but its width is likewise longer with the midsoles featuring new angles laterally outward as well. Beyoncé also places her subtle co-branding inside the shoe on the insole with her name just beneath the trefoil logo of Adidas. Although, as previously mentioned, elements from the original Superstar are still evident, Beyoncé’s version definitely has her own unique twist and mark on it, which is what is usually seen from collaborations like this between brand and artist.
The shoe may technically be classified as an Adidas Superstar, but its price is definitely closer to that of those higher-priced, higher-valued sneakers that you would expect from collaborative releases, as seen from Kanye’s Yeezy and Pharrell’s NMD lines. Retailing at P11,000 ($200), the Superstar “Platform” is more than double than that of its original silhouette which is priced at $85 (roughly P4,100). Unlike those other collaborations (more specifically the Air Yeezy), I highly doubt that the resell value of the Superstar “Platform” will skyrocket on the secondary market, fortunate for those with hopes of getting their hands on these sneakers.
I personally wouldn’t wear these versions of the iconic Superstars not necessarily because they were made for women, but because I’m not quite feeling the double-stacked rubber outsole on this specific shoe, to be quite honest. With the direction society and fashion is headed, clothes of all kinds have essentially become unisex. Although I could definitely use the extra inch or two, I would still prefer to complete my outfit with the original iteration of the classic sneaker. It seems as if Adidas might have stolen a page out of Nike’s extremely successful and popular collaboration with Sacai in creating the LDV Waffle that also makes use of doubling down on the outsoles. Released just this past year, the Sacai x Nike LDV Waffle was so well-received that it even topped many sneakerheads’ list for shoe of the year in 2019. As a big fan of those shoes myself, I would go with those shoes over the Superstar “Platform” sneakers. However, I’m sure that my opinion on Beyoncé’s latest Adidas release differs from those of the “Beyhive,” members of Queen Bey’s fandom who passionately and affectionately support Beyoncé endlessly, who all, I’m sure, would be buzzing and swarming to get their hands on a pair of these sneakers.
