Perhaps you have never paid attention to the portrait of a man in green that appears stamped on the tongue of your Adidas Stan Smith sneakers. Go ahead, we assume that you also have some in your closet, have ever had them or aspire to get a pair after knowing the reason for the success of one of the most famous models of the German sportswear firm. If you have noticed them –and more so in this defining detail–, you may have thought that he is a simple brand image without more. Although, in reality, that is the effigy of the man who gives his name to one of the most famous sneakers in the history of the last century –with the permission of the fifty-year-old Adidas Superstar– but, what do you think if we start at the beginning?

In 1963, Adidas created a revolutionary design never before seen on the tennis courts: leather shoes, which replaced the classic canvas ones, with a green heel reinforcement in reference to the color of the courts. In addition, this model also had the classic three bands, watchword of the brand, which usually appear on its sides but, in this case, they appeared perforated and not sewn into strips. Two years later, having already become the most acclaimed sneakers by tennis players, Adidas signed a contract with Robert Haillet: a tennis player with more style than talent on the court capable of losing positions in the results tables, but gaining a lot of visibility in the street. Until 1971 arrived, the year of change.

So Adidas needed a new tennis star to become an ambassador for what had become its most iconic product. Then they looked at a young promise of tennis: Stanley Roger Smith. The player who had already been a finalist in the Wimbledon tournament and who, to make matters worse, was already wearing what were then known as Adidas Haillet. The brand's marketing managers thought that he – with an apparent bright future on the tracks ahead of him – would open the doors of the North American market for them. And that's where it all started.

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The portrait of Stan Smith that went down in history

The famous portrait that appears on each and every one of the models of these Adidas sneakers was taken in 1969, coincidentally in one of the few moments in the tennis player's life in which he had shaved his mustache. One of the reasons why many find it difficult to recognize him. To add further confusion to the matter, the name of Robert Haillet accompanied the portrait of Stan Smith until finally, in 1978, they received the official name by which we know them today: the Adidas Stan Smith.

Guinness record slippers

Since then, Stan Smith have been responsible for footwear for men and women of all generations for more than 40 years. In the 80s, for example, they became the favorite pair of sneakers for rappers in the United States or France, as well as becoming the favorite sneakers for posh people in Spain. Its neutral and timeless design fit into any style. Hence, this model has entered the Guinness Book of Records as one of the best sellers in history. So, in the early 1990s, the brand managed to sell a whopping 70 million pairs worldwide. There is nothing.

Rise, Fall... and Rise in the 2000s

With the arrival of the New Millennium, the Stan Smith began to lose interest among that public that had positioned them as record-breaking shoes. That is why the director of brand strategy and business development at Adidas, Arthur Hoeld, refused to see how such an iconic model with so much potential could suddenly go out of business. It was then that he devised a marketing campaign to return them to number 1 in sales. How did he get it? An imperceptible redesign was enough and he gave them to various celebrities who, neither short nor lazy, put them on again to take them out on the street and restore the luster of yesteryear.

It was then that, at the beginning of 2014, the Stan Smith were once again on the crest of a wave and, in addition to the classics, versions performed by artists and celebrities appeared. That same year, for example, 10 exclusive hand-painted pairs by Pharrell Williams were launched and put on sale in Colette's Parisian store for 500 euros.

2018, the glorious year of the Stan Smith

In 2018, Rizzoli – the book publisher specializing in art, fashion and lifestyle – published the book Stan Smith: Some People Think I'm a shoe! with a Stan Smith sneaker as the cover image. And thus added another milestone: that of being the cover and study object of a book, something that very few can boast of. In fact, among its pages appears an interview with the man who gave his name to some sneakers that have become a cult object for many. Stan Smith recounts in a few lines that his name and surname had been practically devoured by sneakers.

One of the anecdotes that best explains it is the one in which he himself explains that his little son asked him if he was called that because of the shoes or if the shoes were called that because of him. A question that summarizes the curious story of one of the best-selling models in history and whose legend is still being written today.

The Adidas Stan Smith and the ecological footprint

From Adidas they have proposed to take a giant step in their production processes looking for more sustainable alternatives when creating footwear. And the Stan Smith model is today a shoe made from recycled rubber. The material that covers the upper part of it is called Primegreen, a kind of textile that advances the company's commitment to ensure that, by 2024, 60% of its products are made with materials derived from plastic waste. An eco revolution from which neither the polyester laces nor that genuine green heel pad of this particular model escapes. Do you want to be fashionable without forgetting the respect and care that we must give to our environment? This is how you will be able to step with grace and with an ecological conscience.