Adidas Superstar

About

Introduced in 1969 as a low-top version of Adidas's Pro Model basketball shoe, the Adidas Superstar marked a turning point for both the brand and the sport. It was the first low-top basketball shoe to feature an all-leather upper, offering enhanced support compared to the canvas alternatives that dominated the market at the time. The shoe's most recognisable feature — its rubber shell toe cap — quickly earned it a set of enduring nicknames: "shell toe," "shell shoe," and "shell top." The Superstar's adoption by NBA players was rapid. Legends including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and George Gervin wore the shoe, and by 1973 reportedly more than 75 percent of all NBA players were wearing Superstars on the court. The shoe's cultural trajectory shifted decisively in 1986, when hip-hop group Run-DMC released "My Adidas" — a track written in direct celebration of the shell-toe silhouette. The resulting partnership between Adidas and Run-DMC became the first endorsement deal ever struck between a hip-hop artist and a major corporation. Since then, the Superstar has remained one of streetwear's defining silhouettes, reissued in hundreds of colourways and collaborations across more than five decades.