Superstar "OG"

The adidas Superstar arrived in 1969 as the first low-top all-leather basketball shoe, a construction that represented a meaningful departure from the canvas and high-top designs that had defined the sport’s footwear up to that point. The low-cut silhouette offered players a different range of motion around the ankle, and the full leather upper provided durability and a cleaner fit than the materials commonly used at the time.

The design details that define the Superstar are now so familiar they read as elemental: the serrated rubber shell toe at the front, the three stripes running along the sides, and the herringbone outsole pattern underneath. These elements were functional in origin, with the reinforced toe cap protecting against court wear and the outsole pattern providing traction on hardwood. Over time they became the shoe’s identity.

The Superstar moved from basketball courts into broader culture across the following decades, finding its most significant second life in hip-hop, where groups like Run-DMC wore them as a style statement rather than athletic equipment. That crossover gave the shoe a cultural dimension that extended well beyond its original purpose, and it has remained in continuous production in various forms since its introduction.

The OG colorway presents the shoe in its foundational combination, white leather with black three stripes and the contrasting shell toe, which is the version that established the template every subsequent Superstar colorway has referenced. The relative simplicity of the palette is part of what has allowed the shoe to remain relevant across shifting aesthetic contexts, sitting neutrally enough to work within a wide range of personal styles and eras.