August 18, 2021
#433
Gentle reader,
I first wrote about Adidas way back in 2015. My first encounter with them was in the 1960's when my dad and the dad next door were both Presbyterian ministers teaching and seeking their doctoral degrees at the San Francisco Theological Seminary in San Anselmo, California, which is located in Marin County across the Golden Gate Bridge from the City.
Davy, next door, and I were best of friends. His dad was a hiker and runner. The latter uncommon then. He had the coolest "tennis shoes" (which was the generic name then and there, for sneakers of any kind) they were white with blue "racing stripes" on them. I coveted a pair of my own.
I mentioned it to my aunt, our only one, one time she came to visit and she gave me twenty dollars(!) which is almost $172.00 today, to buy some.
Davy and I set out to look for a shoe store which sold them and I found them, $19.95 was the price. I happily paid it.
I wrote about that and the surprising result of my wearing them to school here: The Robb Collections: I was an elementary school trendsetter! ADIDAS and driving shoes collection.
Here is what they looked like. Back then, Adidas were built in Yugoslavia, and these of kangaroo skin. Truly international shoes.
Unlike the later-made blue-striped ones shown above, they had these soles. They were indoor soccer (football) shoes. But that is not what I have invited you here to read about. Prior to my 65th birthday* my wife and I were walking in the local outlet mall and entered the Adidas store. I immediately was drawn to these: Well, technically, not these, but a smaller pair. They did not have my size in stock. You know what they say about men with big feet, big shoes! HAH! You thought I was going there, I keep these pages PG.
* Did you know that you are actually older than you thought? It takes the Earth 365 days and eight hours to transit the Sun. Thus, every fourth year is a "Leap" year a day is added to the calendar: February 29th, making the year 366 days long. Taking that into consideration, I was 65 years and 16 DAYS old on my birthday the other day.
These three photos and many below are all courtesy of Adidas.
Here is the box's label on the box of size thirteen Adidas Tokio Solar HM running shoes:I am on a fixed budget and even if I weren't, I would NEVER pay that kind of money for something I wear. I am half-Scottish, after all. We Scots are tight with our purses.
The ones the outlet store had were $90.00, my wife does well with her job and loves to buy things for me. I was able to track down this pair on eBay for $85.00.
This is one of two web sites I found with the story behind these shoes and some others as well. Here is a link to the other:
A quote from the Hypebeast site, also about these shoes:
"HUMAN MADE and adidas Originals are continuing their collaborative efforts with the release of an entirely new sneaker, the Tokio Solar HM, and NIGO‘s take on a velcro strap-equipped Stan Smith-esque shoe, dubbed the UNOFCL. The shoes and accompanying apparel collection draw inspiration from NIGO’s personal archive and adidas’ vintage sporting heritage. It follows on from the recently-released collaboration that brought colorful takes on the Rivalry, Stan Smith, and Campus silhouettes, this time around opting for a collection that’s far less bright bar one pair of shoes.
adidas Originals’ archive also played a part in the design of the Tokio Solar HM, which takes design cues from the Tokio trainer that was developed for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. It’s made from Primeknit and is overlayed with suede panels to give the sneaker a retro feel, while zig-zag-cut Three Stripes in leather and an “X” made out of the same leather appear on the mid panel and heel, respectively."
This Adidas shirt features the Human Made logo combined with the famous "three stripes".
And now, some more photos of my green Adidas Tokio Solar HM running shoes.
I was surprised to find the Continental Tires loge on the soles. For years Adidas collaborated with Goodyear Tires making driving shoes with Goodyear soles on them.The crossed stripes remind me of Scotland's flag.
The white area in the center is hollow, while I do not run, I have no doubt that these would do well at that task.
The following shoe colors will be coming out soon. Images courtesy of Adidas.
Now those resemble the Scottish flag even more so, being blue.
I also found this solo image of another possible release. Very colorful. I have this vintage pair of even more colorful Adidas.They are even colorful on the soles. I have one other pair, albeit, not Adidas, which are also colorful. Pardon the dirt, but I actually wear my sneakers.Polo, by Ralph Lauren, these are driving shoes. Note the sole wraps up around the heel, mimicking the shape of our heels. This is to grip the car's floor while working the pedals.Looking like they should have spikes in them, the thick red pads aid in gripping the clutch and brake pedals while performing spirited driving, or racing on a course.
I thank you for taking the time to read my humble blog. Below are links to previous articles I have written about my unplanned collection of sneakers.
While some of my sneakers were bought new, the vast majority were thrift store finds. I never set out to collect sneakers, it just happened.
I have given away some, re-donated others and sold a few pair I rarely wore on eBay. So, the rack has space on it now.
Scott
August 18, 2021
#433
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