Legendary British designer Paul Smith is collaborating with the iconic football club Manchester United and German sportswear giant Adidas to release an iteration of their classic Stan Smith footwear silhouette. Stan Smith has a legendary place in the footwear world and has now been presented with an iconic Man United twist.
Paul Smith has teamed up with the Three Stripes label to release a one-of-a-kind edition of the silhouette for the Fall/Winter 2022 season. Stan Smith is one of the sneaker sphere's most consistent silhouettes. The collaborative pair was launched on the official online stores of Adidas, Man Utd., and select retailers on September 30, 2022.
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The Stan Smith sneaker silhouette was first released in 1978 in honor of the iconic American player. By the 1980's, Stan Smith's hallmark portrait and his signature were included in the design of the shoe's tongue, and the iconic trefoil logo was added over the heel tabs. The shoe's clean white design and minimal branding are the factors behind the silhouette's success.
To celebrate the occasion of this collaboration and creation of the Smith x Smith shoes, Stan visited Paul Smith HQ in London. In an official press release, Paul Smith, spoke about the collaborative shoe,
“It was such an honour to put our own spin on such an iconic shoe in collaboration with our longstanding tailoring partner Manchester United. It’s a trainer that I wear myself and has truly stood the test of time, earning itself a place in the history books.”
Paul Smith further spoke about his experience working with Stan Smith over the collaborative shoe,
“Spending time with the man himself and working closely with the adidas team, our shared passion for the design became clear and I’m confident we have created something that serves as a fitting tribute to the unmistakable classic.”
Stan paid a visit to the Paul Smith HQ and was accompanied by the club legends and his friends Bryan Robson.
Paul Smith has a long-standing partnership with Manchester United as the label serves as the proud tailoring partner of the football club. The label usually fits the club for various outings and match days. Not only with club, he has also been a huge fan of Adidas' classic silhouette, thus a three-way collaboration is fitting and natural.
For the collaborative sneakers, the traid reimagined the silhouette with only a few twists. The iteration mostly stays true to the originally debuted design with only a few custom shifts from Manchester United and Paul Smith. The official Adidas site introduces the collaboration,
"It was only a matter of time before two of the most iconic Smiths come together — the adidas Stan Smith shoes and Paul Smith... With both adidas and Paul Smith being official creation partners for Manchester United, it's only fitting that our collaboration introduces the Stan Smith as the official footwear of the club's latest collection."
The site further gives details of the collaborative shoe,
"Casual and with a modern take on tailored wear, the iconic silhouette maintains its minimalism with a smooth white leather upper and monochromatic details and logos. Inside is where you'll find the excitement, with Man United's colours decorating the sockliner and tongue label."
The shoe incorporates the football club's team trademark colors - i.e., black, red, and white - which are affixed over the inner lining and lace aglets. The few twists from the collaborative partners includes the feature of Paul's face and signature over the tongues, instead of Stan.
Another nod to the football club is added with the addition of Manchester United's Red Devil mascot over the sole and heel tabs. The limited-edition collaborative shoes was launched with only 1946 units. 1946 is a significant number for both Stan Smith and Paul Smith, as it is the year both Paul and Stan Smith were born.
The shoes' can be purchased on the official e-commerce site of Adidas, Paul Smith, and Man Utd, starting September 30, 2022, at the retail price of $150.