Matt Varga Vintage hoops is a bustling category for adidas. The Forum and Rivalry lines highlight that vertical stateside, but the latest nugget to hit the newswire sees the Three Stripes making a splash across the pond. Spanish icon Juan Antonio San Epifanio, primarily known by his mononym “Epi,” will see a retro of his second signature shoe.
Spending the entirety of his professional career with FC Barcelona, Epi stands as one of the greatest European players in the history of the sport. Perhaps his defining moment in that regard came during Barcelona’s 1992 Olympics when Epifiano was the final athlete to carry the torch during the opening ceremony.
His iconic status in Spain prompted the country’s adidas wing to grant him a line of signature shoes midway through his career. Intriguingly, his second, the Epi Pro, was designed by lifting several sections from other adidas staples. As adidas collector/historian @erniepunk details, the Rivalry lends its midsole & heel overlay, the ribbed collar comes from the Fleetwood, and the patch of leather over the eyestays can be traced back to the Instinct.
All told, the high version is an exemplar of the ultra-high basketball shoes of the late 80s & early 90s (the Ewing 33 Hi can be viewed as a product of the same school as the Epi Pro). If the maximalist style of the Epi Pro High is too much for your off-the-court purposes, the low-cut might present a more amenable option. Its simplified construction and the aforementioned Rivalry sole allows it to run parallel to a lot of the retro adidas lifestyle models the Three Stripes is currently championing. Importantly, either shoe sports an OG colorway in this retro effort, pulling from a canon of just 4 original colorways for Epi’s second signature.
The adidas Epi Pro releases September 1st in Europe, with a retail equivalent of $150. Check out official images and Wbere To Buy links included just below.
