From training shoe to streetwear staple, the Adidas Gazelle is forty three years old and still going strong.
Some things are built to stand the test of time, whether it’s a Rolex, a Cadillac, a Gloverall Duffle coat or a pair of trainers. Certain products are simply that well designed that they will be around forever. The Adidas Gazelle is one such example of effortless design brilliance. Sure, it’s not winning any awards for pushing technological boundaries or for being bang up to date trend wise, but it is an understated, classic silhouette that has been knocking around since 1968 and has shown no signs of fading since.
Originally thought to be conceived as an indoor football/training shoe, the Gazelle has gone onto be re-issued in hundreds of different colour ways and several different shapes over the last few decades – evolving along the way from training shoe to a streetwear staple. The timeless, streamline aesthetic of the shoe is constructed from silky smooth suede uppers, and flat white midsole – coming together to create a time-honoured, absolute belter of a trainer that has been adorned by some of the most influential subcultures throughout the last few decades. Not a trainer to be pigeonholed, The Gazelle was seen on the feet of the hip hop elite in the 80’s before the dominance of the Run DMC approved Superstar and was one of the many Adidas styles held in such a high regard by the casuals as they amassed on the terraces of many football grounds across Britain.
Despite numerous reproductions of the shoe, there is life in the old boy yet with Adidas still banging out new colours – the latest offerings being these slick autumnal colour-ways. If you fancy a pair, they are available now at adidas.com
The story of a trainer obsessive
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