With new, ultra-hyped sneaker releases taking place every day, it's undeniably difficult for OG designs to stand out from the oversaturated crowd. With that in mind, Adidas' Stan Smith has managed to outplay even the most coveted sneakers in the game.
With a widespread fanbase that includes Phoebe Philo (former creative director of Celine and fashion legend), Riz Ahmed, Prince William, David Beckham, Timothée Chalamet, Kendall Jenner, Ewan McGregor, Sienna Miller and Kanye West, the Stan Smith passed the 100 million pairs sold mark in 2020. No big deal.
The trainers began life in the early 1960s under the name Haillet, after French tennis player Robert Haillet, before they were renamed the Stan Smith, the then American number one player, in 1973. Characterised by a streamlined silhouette, rounded toe, perforated three stripes, block colour details at the rear and a picture of tennis player Smith on the tongue, the sneakers are an instantly recognisable slice of Adidas history.
And now, 50 years later, the spotlight remains firmly on the Stan Smith. Adidas, in its mission to be plastic free by 2024, has reimagined the design in an entirely sustainable way and the sneakers now come with uppers made from the German sportswear giant's Primegreen, a high-performance recycled material, which sit atop a white recycled outsole.
With the green kicks available to buy now at adidas.co.uk, GQ met with Stan Smith himself to find out why he thinks the trainers have stood the test of time, how his Adidas partnership came about and his relationship with the Duke and Duchess Of Cambridge.
GQ: How did your relationship with Adidas first come about?
Stan Smith: The shoe was created by Horst Dassler and Robert Haillet, the French tennis player, in 1965. And by 1971/72 Adidas wanted a stronger presence in the United States and so they started looking for an American player and I was the American number one in the world at the time. And so we worked out an arrangement where my photograph would be on the shoe, while Haillet's name would still be on it too. And we had several iterations of the shoes with my name and photograph and Haillet's name and photograph on them. After about four or five years, in 1973, his name came off the shoe and Adidas left just my name on it.
Why do you think it has been the go-to footwear for so many people across the world?
Adidas led the way in creating the first leather tennis shoe in 1965 – before that we were only using canvas shoes on the court. Leather instantly caught people's attention, both on court and then off. It's one of those shoes you can wear with anything. Since the design of the shoes doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles you can wear them with cut-off jeans or even a tuxedo, which is neat. I think the pure white, minimal design is the thing that's really allowed it to keep its longevity over the years. Also, the film generation, as well as athletes, hip-hop stars and the preppies, adopted them. That's the interesting thing about the shoe: there are diverse groups of people that wear the shoe and so it's got a universal appeal and hasn't been linked to a sole cult.
In terms of popularity today, Adidas had great plans about launching the Stan Smith back in 2014 after a brief hiatus. They gave 100 influencers the shoe and allowed them to put their photograph on it, which took off on social media, thus kickstarting the relaunch. Adidas has had numerous collaborators that have worked with them over the years and each has breathed new life into the design. It's been a genius marketing plan.
Did you ever think it would be as popular as it is?
When we first signed an agreement back in 1972 I thought it might be good for five or six years and that these sort of things don't last forever. But it's been an amazing run. And it's really due to the fact that the shoe is, again, something that people can just wear with almost anything. It's comfortable, it hasn't got a high price point and it's fairly economic for just about anyone. The relaunch in 2014 really went crazy and after that I did a book tour around the world and I saw first-hand how popular the design is, which is so great to see.
How does it feel to have your name and face on the shoes?
When I was playing I would look down, as I'd be returning a serve, and see my shoes and see my face looking at me. And so I'd always think that I should be a good player – I'm wearing shoes with my face on, that doesn't happen for just anyone. And I also felt it wasn't really appropriate for anybody to beat me when they're wearing my shoes. But, unfortunately, that did happen several times. Adidas had an agreement with the ATP tour and so all those players that didn't have their individual contracts could get Adidas clothing and shoes, including Stans.
When the Stan Smith stopped being sold in 2012 what were your initial thoughts?
I thought that was the end of the run. When they told me at the end of 2011 that they were going to take it off the market for two years and relaunch it I walked out of that meeting with my wife and my agent saying, “Well, it's been a good 40 years.” But as it turned out, Adidas had some great plans for relaunching it in 2014. To be honest, I really didn't believe that the team had a plan to relaunch it and so I thought that was the end of the shoe.
How does it feel when people don't know that Stan Smith is an actual person?
Most people around the world know the name, but they don't necessarily know who I am. And they don't know that I was a tennis player. Over the years I've seen people work with the shoe, who probably don't know who I am, but it's never an issue. You wouldn't expect a 19-year-old that hasn't been a tennis buff for half his life or followed the history of tennis to know who I am. Sometimes I'll walk by somebody wearing Stans and say, “Well, how do you keep those shoes so clean?” and they'll look at me strangely and then sometimes they'll recognise me and other times they'll just answer the question and move on. There are so many people that are out there that really have no idea that there's a person behind that name.
Has anyone famous ever brought up your affiliation with the shoe?
At the Wimbledon final, one time I was in the Royal Box and Hugh Grant was right in front of me. He turned around and said, “I was wearing your shoes when I first kissed a girl.” Then back in the day, my daughter, who is now 32, came home from school and said, “Dad, you're famous. Jay-Z has rapped about you in one of his songs” and I had no idea who that was, but apparently he's written several songs where he's mentioned the shoe.
A lot of people have collaborated with Adidas on the Stan Smith design, are there any that stand out to you?
Raf Simons' take on the shoe is one that stands out to me. He put an “R” on the shoe and to me it is the exact same shoe, but about three times more expensive. There has also been a lot of times when people have used it for fundraisers. Kate Moss got together with a lot of celebrities that did personal designs on the shoe, which were then auctioned off for charity. There's also a shoe in my trophy cabinet that takes the form of a clog from Holland, framed around the Stan Smith. To be honest, there's also been a couple of pairs that I haven't liked over the years, but, generally speaking, Adidas has done a good job with the collaborations.
Is there anyone you're proud to have seen wearing the shoe?
Paul McCartney wore the shoe, as did Harrison Ford. That's quite major. I saw photographs of Barack Obama wearing the shoe and I even saw pictures of Melania Trump wearing them.
Have you ever gifted the shoe to anyone famous?
I saw photographs of the Duchess Of Cambridge wearing the shoe and I once had the chance to chat to her at Wimbledon. I actually gave some shoes to the Duke and Duchess for George, Charlotte and Louis. I presented a shoe to her at the Wimbledon tournament a few years back. I gave Prince Louis a baby-sized Stan, which said, “To Louis from Stan Smith” on it. I actually also gifted the baby sneakers to the Duchess Of Sussex for her son, Archie, through the Arlington Club. I got a letter of thanks, which means she got it and, interestingly, I've always heard that the Queen has to approve all gifts, so that makes it royally approved by Her Majesty.
What was meeting the royals like?
They were very gracious. The Duchess is big on tennis and I'm sure she's about to become the face of Wimbledon, like the Duchess Of Kent was when I won the tournament way back when. I first met them at the women's finals on a Saturday a couple of years back and when I saw them on the Sunday at the men's finals, they told me they went home after the previous day's game, which Serena won, and played tennis on their personal court.
Is there a pair of Adidas trainers you wish had your name on them?
The trainers that come with that Boost material, which is so comfortable, are pretty special. I wear them sometimes when I'm out running or walking. But, to be honest, and I'm not just saying this, I end up wearing Stans most of the time.
How do you feel about Adidas' decision to make the Stan Smith more ecofriendly?
It's exciting to see that Adidas is looking at ending plastic waste around the world with its Primegreen concept. I'm actually wearing a shoe now that looks the same, feels the same, is a little lighter, but is made from recycled, high-performance materials. It also comes with Kermit The Frog on it… What's not to love?
How many pairs do you own?
I actually have a closet full. My daughter helped me organise it and I probably have 120 pairs and counting. Some of my favourites are some I helped to design a couple of years back that were made from a sort of cracked black leather with a fuzzy tennis ball material at the rear. Another one was the black suede version, which came with my university colours. There's also one metallic pair that reflect the sun at different angles, which are fun. Adidas has also done some creative things with Gore-Tex, making the Stan Smith excellent for wear in the winter and in the rain.
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