adidas Pro Conference Hi

• MODEL: ADIDAS PRO CONFERENCE HI
• TYPE: BASKETBALL
• MADE IN: VIETNAM
• MADE ON: 11/12
• FACTORY: EVM 004001

For many passionate sneaker historians the funnest part of a retro release is comparing it side by side with an original vintage model.

Luckily enough we happened to have an OG pair of the Pro Conference hanging around, pretty much deadstock, in our London-based archives. What we didn’t have, at the time of writing this, was the retro model on hand. So we rolled the two wonderful European cities together and took our vintage pair over to Overkill in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district to get a good look at them next to each other.

And side by side these are dead on, even the number of perforations match. The toe of the out sole is a bit upgraded, its texture now formed with the same star-patterning that some shelltoes get, and even more minor detailing changes are found in the sole branding which pops out instead of inward.

More significant changes occur in the heel ribbing, which is hardcore sturdy (almost plastic feeling) in the vintage pair but much more malleable in the retro release. And the interior construction – whilst identical – features much more padding on the newer shoes, giving it a decent amount more comfort as well.

Same, good old, thin tongue, but much less dying and decaying from the inside of course (probably one of the only points of the OG that is actually failing over time). And as for comfort, the original models had a bit more mid-foot support and definitely much more superior sturdiness in their body build, especially in the lower and upper heel area.

But really, if we’re honest here, this is probably one of the most dead on retros we’ve seen from any brand in a while, let alone just from adidas. Beyond the fresh new colorways it’s dribbling down in, the Originals crew made sure to blast the lateral side with a nice little Trefoil tag, reminding us who’s the king of quality basketball classics.

written by Dylan Cromwell

photography by errol