adidas Superstar 80s Beauty & Youth
- MODEL: ADIDAS SUPERSTAR 80S
- DESIGNED BY: Beauty & Youth
- MADE IN: CHINA
- MADE ON: --/12
- ART.NO: Q34552
Traditionally the Superstar is a high contrast silhouette, but Beauty & Youth bring it back with a subdued, relaxed, creamy flavor.
Japanese brand Beauty and Youth (by United Arrows) pulled together with adidas Originals for this Fall 2012 release which dropped at only a few lucky boutiques including No. 6 in London and Extra Butter. Beauty and Youth creates stylish casual wear targeting a young crowd, and isn’t unfamiliar to the three stripes. After working together on a pair of Rod Lavers just months before, the Tokyo-based store decided to take on another collaboration with adidas Originals. The combination of Beauty and Youth’s aesthetics with this classic adidas model creates an elegant pair of Superstar 80s.
The Superstars are comprised of two extremely soft leathers which make up the majority of the upper. A premium cow hide leather is used to create the cream colored base while a caramel suede is placed for the stripes and heel tab. The shell toe and outsole match the color of the leather upper. The use of few colors with low key contrast creates a very minimalist colorway which may have been influenced by the Japanese traditional culture of Zen philosophy which promotes simplicity.
This house of tans and creams hides the cork insole which captures the foot’s unique shape for extra comfort. And to keep that foot in place is a pair of thin, round, cord laces. Within the last two years, it seems as if there’s been more experimentation with the strings put on Supes in an attempt to add a cleaner look. Whether it looks good or not is yours to decide, but a little change every once in a while never hurt anybody. Under the laces is a square tongue label, embossed with the words “La Marque aux 3 bandes”, French for “the brand with the three stripes”.
Packaged with an alternate pair of flat laces, these Beauty & Youth Superstar 80s have a very modest and unobtrusive look to them but anybody who’s wearing them clearly has a sense of style. I can see these being worn by everybody from hardcore Supe-heads to hype beast hipsters, even though some that prefer the more traditional Superstar may not get as much of a kick out of them. One way or another, they’re definitely a mix up from what we usually see from the good old shell toed silhouette.
written by Kyle Zemborain
photography by errol
shoes contributed by Ollie Teeba
