adidas Campus 80 (House of Pain)

• MODEL: ADIDAS CAMPUS 80S
• MADE IN: VIETNAM
• MADE ON: --/09
• ART.NO: G05553

Inspired by The Island of Dr. Moreau, Everlast’s pre-solo-career group known as House of Pain brought on a lot of things to the hip hop world. Uniquely, they were self-proclaimed as an Irish-American rap group, and while this behavior and personality can certainly be heard in their lyrics and music, the flavor and colors they upheld are visible in these adidas Campus 80s.

With a pretty rough green suede upper, this pair of classic leisure shoes feature the phrase ‘fine malt lyrics’ (an obvious drinking reference in the form of a musical pun) stitched in golden thread across the upper side. The group’s identity is carried further, via a thick, embroidered badge on tongue, with a matching illustration upon the insole depicting the trefoil instead of a four-leaf clover.

The shoe design throws a bit of asymmetry as well, providing a green insole on the left foot, and an orange one for the right. The rest of the build is tailored to the classic structure of a Campus: clean, relatively tame colorway, 80s sole units, super comfy fit, and definitely durable makeup overall.

Packaged with white, green, and orange laces, these kicks were certainly made for die-hard House of Pain fans but can easily double as a casual kick to match any non-rap-lovers tastes as well. Considering their endorsement though, they’ve become a bit of a rare find, and while they are popping up often if one were to look in the right places, it’s frequently for quite large prices and not necessarily the most desirable sizes.

written by Dylan Cromwell

photography by errol

shoes contributed by Chris SoleconneXion Leal