adidas Superstar 1 “Phillie Blunt”

• MODEL: ADIDAS SUPERSTAR 1
• TYPE: BASKETBALL
• MADE IN: CHINA
• MADE ON: 02/08
• ART.NO: 046150
• FACTORY: PWC 681001

Definitely a holy grail to some, these adidas Superstar 1′s come from the combined effort of the well-known tobacco manufacture Phillie and the original Trefoil tribe.

A surefire staple of the Superstar line, not many may actually know of this collab. However the shoe itself, while hyped up unnecessarily high – leading many sellers to pitch prices, especially in online markets, that hover high above the couple hundred range – still merit some serious attention. For starters it’s not very often you get a tobacco-inspired sneaker (except, of course, in regards to adidas’ incredibly famous Tobacco silhouette).

Illustrating the fine, smokable leaf, is a well-treated light brown leather with folds and creases much like you can expect from the leaves cylindrically wrapped to form a cigar. This part of the shoe is exceptionally soft and goes well in contrast against the firmer red and white patches and the harder-still shell toe decked in thick brown coloring.

The palette taken from a Phillie brand cigar box extends up the tongue and exposes the Trefoil logo as though it were a blunt label, wrapped loosely around the flat, fat tongue, one of the iconic changes the Superstar was given when it left the vintage design behind and took on the shape of the well-known Superstar 1.

Such a shoe is not only unique on its own, featuring a bit of a background story, nice colors, and exceptional materials, but it also comes with a reputation and is most likely considered to be a treasure of one’s collection by many of the adidas – or specifically, Superstar – collectors of today.

written by Dylan Cromwell

photography by errol