Adidas’s Slept-On Stunner Just Ruined the Rest of My Sneaker Collection

I like a uniform — or at least the idea of it. One look, one brand for everything. My wife doesn’t understand why I need yet another pair of broken-in chinos from J.Crew.

That said, footwear tends to get the better of my wallet and my closet, where piles of boxes stack together like Tetris blocks, flowing in from a spout that never turns off.

Adidas’s upcoming reissue of a 1960s classic has me considering filing for footwear foreclosure.

Adidas

The Italian job

Dubbed the Italia, the shoe first came out ahead of the Rome Summer Olympics, making it one of the Three Stripes’s earliest designs. In fact, it even predates the Gazelle and the rubber-soled Samba design we know today.

Adidas

The original Italia featured a bold blue-and-white colorway, which Adidas has faithfully revisited for modern takes on the heritage model.

However, its newest interpretation adopts a white-and-green colorway reminiscent of the Stan Smith, a shoe often cited as Adidas’s best-selling model in history — and thus, ready to serve in my idyllic one-shoe rotation.

Adidas

While most Adidas sneakers use only their stripes (and maybe the toe box) to showcase their accent color, the heel of the era-correct Italia features a green cross that versed collectors will recognize from the Tokyo (also dating back to the 1960s).

Adidas

Finally, gold-foil branding in a unique script font give the shoe an air of elegance that underscores one of the coolest bits about it: true to the name, this specific Adidas Italia hails from Italy, where the leather and rubber are assembled by hand.

Adidas

Pricing and availability

When it releases on June 17, the Adidas Italia ’60 Made in Italy Sneaker will cost $349 and only be available by draw at the British retailer End.

Adidas

Adidas Italia ’60 Made in Italy Sneaker

• $349 at End. Clothing

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