White Mountaineering Embraces the Challenge of Giving the Stan Smith a Modern Makeover

White Mountaineering explains the challenge of collaborating on the Stan Smith sneaker.

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Image via Complex Original
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Japanese label White Mountaineering is the latest brand to team up with adidas Originals to work on the Stan Smith. Instead of channeling the vintage sneaker's tennis roots from the early '70s, White Mountaineering decided to go a different route. It stayed in its lane and did what it has always done: Designed a minimal product with high-quality, technical materials.

"Instead of being nostalgic and trying to recreate that feeling in the present, I wanted to embrace the challenge of bringing [the Stan Smith] into the 21st century," Yosuke Aizawa, creative director of White Mountaineering, told High Snobiety. "I want to update the classics, not wallow in the past.​"

The result was a two-sneaker collection of Stan Smiths in grey and navy, each one done up in premium suede and leather details. The Japanese menswear label built its entire brand around this simple aesthetic, and served as the top priority when approaching the Stan Smith.

"Instead of making drastic changes to the shoe, I wanted to make it comfortable," Aizawa said. "I didn’t want to do too much with them."

In addition to the Stan Smith, White Mountaineering will also be working on other old-school favorites like the Superstar and Campus and even some of the newer models, including the ZX Flux. In the meantime, watch for the Stan Smiths to launch on March 14.

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[via High Snobiety]

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