Adidas Nizza

About

Introduced by Adidas in 1975, the Nizza took its name from the German spelling of Nice, the French city, and was built as a canvas basketball shoe positioned to compete directly with the Converse All Star, then the dominant hoops silhouette in the US. Unlike Adidas's leather-heavy basketball lines of the era, the Nizza used a lightweight canvas upper, a rubber toe cap, and a vulcanized rubber outsole construction, finished with the brand's embroidered 3-Stripes running up the sidewall. That vulcanized build kept the shoe flexible and inexpensive to produce, qualities that helped it move beyond the court soon after launch. Skateboarders and streetwear-minded wearers adopted the Nizza for its minimal profile and durability against grip-tape wear, cementing it as a European skate and casual staple through the late 1970s and beyond. Adidas has repeatedly revived the silhouette in both Nizza Low and Nizza Hi forms, including a faithful 1975 'OG' Off-White/Blue reissue in 2017, while modern versions swap the 3-Stripes for a simple Trefoil at the ankle. Decades after debuting as a budget basketball alternative, the Nizza remains one of Adidas Originals' longest-running vulcanized silhouettes.