adidas Enforcer Mid

• MODEL: ADIDAS ENFORCER MID
• TYPE: BASKETBALL
• MADE IN: INDONESIA
• MADE ON: 05/93
• ART.NO: 074043

Similar to the Forum model, the adidas Enforcer Mid supplies the reinforcement of a synthetic ankle strap but provides a much more durable upper and toe box that withstand the test of time.

Dropped in 1993, the adidas Enforcer Mid slam dunks a lot of sneaker necessities on the court. Humble leather upper. Thick dual-color rubber sole. Ankle strap for a secure tight fit. Clean and clear branding to show your opponents who your icons are.

What truly makes this release special is the soft nubuck leather used for the middle three eyestays and side stripes. Incredibly uncommon to use such material back in ’93. The mass perforations and shape formed by the secondary upper layer gives the toe box an undeniably recognizable shape (though I’ve to openly admit I don’t find it all that attractive).

This show ain’t all fun and games though. The tongue, like that of an adidas Phantom Hi or the DT-500 Street Ball shoe from ’92 really breaks down over time, its surface layer of painted synthetic material becoming a super delicate thin bit of skin that’s just begging to be torn off with even the simplest of lace movement. We all can ignore that beat up and used, vintage look from time to time I guess, but that’s not all. The upper white part of the ankle collar has been treated in such a way that the coloring becomes sticky in time, even when the sneaker is stored as properly as possible. Gross.

Back to praise, the laces are quite unique. Straying from the typical soft vintage bits we’re too used to, these have some sort of shiny white threads interwoven, giving off a sweet sparkle as you move. The only downside is that once you start leading them through the eyelets you hit a serious problem on the fourth one. Those damn soft leather black panels flake off and send the clean white laces to a dirty black hell, bringing tons of dust through with them that are more than visible on the pair pictured here (and keep in mind these were only laced once for the photoshoot). Another shame adidas, that your choice of materials literally decays the dopeness of your product twenty years later (such is the case with the infamous Torsion soles in vintage shoes like the adidas Artillery SE Hi, rendering them completely useless). Double gross.

I’d hate for this article to appear as though it’s bashing the Enforcer, as this is surely not my intent. Though the model kicks ass it has some serious drawbacks and I’d advise any collectors out there who actually wear their shoes to double think their offer before picking up a pair of these babies, because when it comes to certain aesthetic aspects of their anatomy they are just that: delicate, thin, and entire destroyable babies, despite the bad ass, tough guy name.

written by Dylan Cromwell

photography by errol