Raf Simons’ Boldest Take On The adidas Stan Smith Combines Two Iconic Silhouettes

Over the course of his long-running relationship with adidas, legendary designer Raf Simons has culled a fascinating design ethos; one that modifies some of the Trefoil Brand’s most iconic silhouettes just enough while still keeping the core of what made them so popular in the first place intact. Now, Simons is continuing his compelling combination of visions quite literally with a quintet of new takes on the adidas Stan Smith, creations that first debuted at Paris Fashion Week in January.

Inspired by the Trompe-l’oeil (French for “deceive the eye”) painting technique, Simons has chosen five silhouettes from the adidas archives — the Micropacer, the LA Trainer, the Torsion Conquest Super, the Samba, and the Peachtree — and superimposed them over the Stan Smith via 3D modeling. Each pair also features intentionally aged details like stains, scuffs, and exposed glue. These unique details aim to bring the past together with the present, and make for an artistic fusion of styles that challenges the observer to spot where one design ends and the other begins. Each shoe is then also accompanied by a matching adilette sandal, another long-time collaborative canvas for the two parties. Combining tennis, soccer, and running together in an extremely unusual and thought-provoking fashion, Simons’ newest Three Stripes capsule is unquestionably one of his most interesting footwear projects in recent memory. The Stan Smith will roll out on April 12th with the adilette following closely behind on April 17th, and the releases will continue into May, with each Stan retailing for $280 USD. Check out a store list and detailed set of images for each attention-grabbing creation below, and let us know which pair is your favorite as well.

Make sure to follow @kicksfinder for live tweets during the release date.

Where to Buy

• adidas3am ET
• Asphalt Gold10am CET/4am ET
• SNS12am CET/6pm ET (4/11)