The world of footwear is an interesting one. There are thousands of people out there who would go gaga over the latest sneakers, and there are more who love to collect dozens and dozens of shoes.
This has led big companies not just to make a single product for each line but actually start a series, which would evolve over the years, gain fan momentum, and modify itself as per user requirements while holding to some of its base characteristics.
This is exactly what Adidas did with their show series called The Superstars.
Adidas is already well known for mainly producing high-performance sportswear and often collaborating with famous names, even outside the sports world, to bring forth some appreciated and widely sought-after sportswear and footwear.
Key Takeaways
- Adidas Superstars 1 and 2 are classic sneakers from Adidas with slight differences in design and features.
- Superstars 2 have a more streamlined design, a softer leather upper, and a better fit than Superstars 1.
- Superstars 1 have a thicker rubber sole, a toe cap with a more prominent shell design, and a wider fit than Superstars 2.
Adidas Superstars 1 vs 2
The difference between Adidas Superstars 1 and 2 is that Superstars 2 is a reinvented version of Superstars 1, adding stuff like a full-grain leather upper, a bolder colourway, etc.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Adidas Superstars 1 | Adidas Superstars 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Colour | The Superstars 1 has lighter, more blendable coloring. | The Superstars 2 has a more bold, more complex colouring. |
| Material | The material of Superstars 1 is less durable. | Superstars 2 has a more durable material. |
| Padding | Superstars 1 has a thin tongue. | Superstars 2 has a padded tongue. |
| Placement of ‘Superstars’ | ‘Superstar’ was written on its sides. | The word ‘Superstar’ was removed from the sides. |
| Silk Lining | No silk lining was present. | Silk lining was present. |
What is Adidas Superstars 1?
Adidas Superstars 1 is the original Superstars shoe model made in the product line. This show has brought this product line to fame and popular demand.
The main reason for this is that it had gained immense attention from various notable personalities back in those times, around 1969, when the original version was launched.
This show became very much noticed by the public and famous personalities and sportspeople, especially the players of the NCAA and NBA.
Notable basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was known to be a big fan of this shoe; just a few years after its launch, it was worn by most sportspersons, celebrities, etc.
But this shoe did not just remain a shoe of the elite; it soon found its way to the streets and was very much loved.
Soon this shoe model found its presence in the rap and hip hop community, noticeably by the rap group who went by the stage name RUN-D.M.C, who had a rebel attitude to the standard norms artists followed.
They believed in doing what they felt was right, so they dressed on stage the same way they dressed on the streets. It was in one of their concerts when an Adidas employee saw them holding up their Superstars, and this is how Adidas came to know how the band promoted their brand.
The main characteristics of Superstars 1 were its rubber shell toe piece, a thin leather tongue, and a limited number of colourways. There was no additional padding, neither inside the tongue nor in the heel. It did have an all-leather upper and had the branding ‘Superstars’ on its side.
Despite lacking the comforts and features that came with the Superstars 2, it was still arguably one of the best shoes of that time and was a landmark achievement for Adidas.
What is Adidas Superstars 2?
Adidas Superstars 2 is the successor to the iconic Adidas Superstars 1. The Adidas Superstars 2 brought a certain more elegant flavour to the series and made it more comfortable.
It also certainly became bolder and loud, as the main idea behind the Superstars was to voice the idea of the streets. This series was regarded among shoe heads as ‘shell toes’.
Shoe Heads is a community of people who are crazy about shoes and go to large extents to collect them and, naturally, they have an active knowledge about shoes than the general population.
When a successor to the Superstars 1 came out, Adidas named it the Superstars 2.
This helped the brand in one way because by carrying a similar name, its sales will be propelled by the momentum already gathered by the immensely successful original Superstars, and that is what happened.
When these shoes were released, they sold like hotcakes and were a huge hit, not only with the general public but also among celebrities, sportspeople, and the music industry.
In 2005, Adidas went ahead to collaborate and design this product line of shoes with prominent musicians, especially hip hop artists, who were more ‘street’.
These features again proved to be a very popular movie, as this even got fans of those certain musicians to buy the shoes, and many even became shoe heads, thus promising customer loyalty.
The Superstars 2 featured a silk lining, more padding in the heel area, metallic exteriors, a thicker tongue, abrasion resistance, etc.
Main Differences Between Adidas Superstars 1 and 2
- The main difference between Adidas Superstars 1 and 2 is that Superstars 2 is a reinvented version of Superstars 1, adding more comfort and durability.
- Superstars 1 has a lighter colour pattern compared to Superstars 2.
- Superstars 1 has thinner padding than Superstars 2.
- In Superstars 1, the word ‘Superstar’ was written on its sides, which was then removed in the next model.
- Superstars 1 did not have any silk lining, while Superstars 2 did.
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Chara Yadav holds MBA in Finance. Her goal is to simplify finance-related topics. She has worked in finance for about 25 years. She has held multiple finance and banking classes for business schools and communities. Read more at her bio page.
