Following on from our previous posts on little-known adidas facts and obscure Stan Smiths, as well as the recent release of the military-inspired adidas BW Army, here’s another strange story about the 3 Stripes, as told by Highsnobiety: the tale of the MOCKBA, a bootleg adidas trainer that ended up used by the Soviet Special Forces.

Back in the days of the Soviet Union, Western-made goods were scarce; they weren’t officially banned, but obtaining them was nigh impossible. Attempts to make alternatives in local factories proved less than desirable, as the quality just wasn’t up to scratch, and attracting international companies behind the Iron Curtain was difficult, to say the least.

An unlikely helping hand came in the form of the widespread boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics: because a majority of adidas’ preferred sponsor countries were no longer participating in the games, they had to turn to the Soviet team in order to still capitalise on one of the biggest sponsorship opportunities in the sporting world.

 

There were several catches to the deal, however, as detailed by Highsnobiety:

The Kremlin’s demands were weighty and numerous. First, adidas had to nullify its iconic Three Stripes branding and produce clothes without logos so that a West German capitalist producer would not be shown in any photos or videos of triumphant Soviet athletes. At the time, a Russian phrase captured this East versus West sentiment, roughly translating to “The one who wears adidas will sell the Motherland tomorrow.” Second, any adidas shoes with the Three Stripes had to be modified so the stripes formed an “M”, apparently to celebrate the host city of Moscow.

Last but not least, as part of its “Official Supplier” contract guaranteeing “exclusive supply rights” in a competitive industry, adidas had to produce goods supplied to the games on Russian soil. Whereas Coca-Cola (another “Official Supplier”) could build a bottling plant and secure all of its trade secrets by leaving no flavor concentrate behind after the Games, adidas would have to leave the bulk of its shoe production facilities behind after the Closing Ceremony. Jackpot.

The Soviet government then cheekily utilised all the leftover equipment and resources to create the MOCKBA: a Three-Stripe sporting shoe somewhere between a Gazelle and a Campus. The story doesn’t end there, however, as the shoe, somewhat bizarrely, finds its way onto the feet of the Spetsnaz, the Soviet Special Forces.

Read the Highsnobiety article for the whole story, and check out some real adidas Originals footwear right here at Aphrodite Clothing.