continental 80 | Aphrodite

 

continental 80

Home of Classics adidas

adidas Home of Classics: The Next Chapter

Acting as an antithesis to the sneaker industry’s often unsustainable noise, adidas’ ‘Home of Classics’ collection proudly veers away from short-term trend fashion, and instead, favours styles that lock down an abundance of versatility. When the adi’ concept first launched last year, its refined, stripped-back designs brought a breath of fresh air to the bulbous, audacious aesthetic of 2019 and the global status quo.

Launching midnight January 15th, the next ‘Home of Classics’ instalment brings with it the iconic adidas Continental 80, Stan Smith Recon and SC Premiere – all clad in a creamy, off-white colourway. Though sharing many of the same qualities and all delivered as a premium update of their originators, each trainer has its own story to divulge within the realm of footwear.

Rendered as a contemporary update on the ever-dependable Stan Smith, adidas’ Stan Smith Recon takes its moniker from the two-time Grand Slam champ of the same name. Boasting a premium leather upper and lining, this timeless silhouette sees monochromatic hues cast a timeless, wearable image over its identity. Shunning Stan Smith’s signature green stamp, this pared-back version replaces the tennis ace’s face with an unusual tweak at the tongue. As last year’s Home of Classics collection subtly touched on, the sneaker everts the shoe’s (traditionally internal) sizing scale and places it externally at the tongue. Additional accents include the brand’s signature perforated 3-Stripes, a suede heel panel and the same robust rubber outsole that debuted in the ‘70s.

adidas Stan Smith Recon

For the Home of Classics Continental 80, the aim is to recharge the ‘vintage charm of the era’, doing so with myriads of retro elements, including a branded window positioned at the sidewall and a split cupsole with EVA insert that perfectly captures the sneaker zeitgesit of the ‘80s. The colourless, stacked upper of the shoe is broken up with perforations, tonal thread and several recognisable adidas credentials.

adidas originals Continental 80

Last, but by no means least, the adidas SC Premiere calls on the sportswear heavyweight’s courtside heritage. Inspired by generations of timeless tennis style, this latest rendition, like the Continental 80, features a retro logo window and layered look across its upper, teamed alongside a ‘world famous for quality’ imprint at the reverse. One of the shoe’s standout components, which you don’t see again across the collection, is the SC Premiere’s serrated sole unit; this jagged edge provides superb grip at the surface of the design, enabling the wearer a trusty, stable ride through the streets.

adidas SC Premiere

Designed to pair seamlessly with a plethora of fits, the 2020 Home of Classics series harnesses boundless amounts of style and substance. Purchase an adidas classic when the capsule launches midnight 15/01/2020.

The Shoe That Taught Yeezy (Well)

After a successful rollout of Kanye West’s Calabasas line, chiefly the minimal court stylings of the Powerphase, the demand for a minimal dress down court shoe from adidas has never been in higher demand. Thankfully, the powers that be over at 3 stripes HQ have tapped into their storied history of silhouettes and alongside their recent drop of the ‘Yung-1’, have provided us with multiple colourways in the Continental 80, a worthy remix to it’s OG.

Adidas continental trainersAs aesthetically pleasing as it’s minimal stylings are, the Continental 80 AKA the ‘Rascal’ finds itself back into the public eye thanks to Kanye’s love of the model, basing his recent Powerphase line on the forgotten tennis classic. Although an almost identical upper, the two editions differ enough to provide a unique experience. The Continental placing a two-tone stripe on its lateral sides, along with perforations to the lower register of each flank, with adidas branding and trefoil logo sitting symmetrically across both pairs.

adidas contintal

adidas contintal sneakersThe materialisation of this release is where the Continental moves into a different class. The tumbling of the leather across both pairs on offer, the white and off-white seen above, instantly gives the OG aura, this is a shoe that promises to age well, just like it’s predecessor.

Although sharing details with the Calabasas line, the sole and mudguard is an area also kept in the family, adopting a similar profile to Reebok’s own Workout model. Both arriving in the late 80s, the uncanny similarity becomes more peculiar when you remember that Adidas bought Reebok nearly 20 years later.

As a whole, this release is a nice surprise from the German giants, look for more retro reissues and keep an eye on the Aphrodite1994 blog for best in new releases.

Adidas Continental 80 sneakers are released 20th June 11pm.