This feature originally appears in Complex's October/November issue.
When legendary fashion designer Raf Simons first reinterpreted the adidas Stan Smith in 2014, the noted minimalist simply replaced the three perforated stripes with a perforated “R.” After all—if ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The result was a best-selling adidas collaboration. Simons’ new collection includes a pair of scuffed Stans that come out of the box looking like your go-to pair of footwear. You already have pre-distressed jeans, so shoes that’ve already been through the ringer shouldn’t be a stretch.
adidas by Raf Simons $485, adidasx.com
A Brief History of the Stan Smith
1963 - The first tennis sneakers made by adidas are unmarked and don’t have a name.
1965 - French tennis player Robert Haillet begins endorsing the shoe. It becomes the Haillet.
1978 - The Haillet is renamed for Stan Smith, the No. 1 tennis player in the world.
1988 - The Stan Smith sells 22 million pairs, setting a Guinness world record.
2014 - Raf Simons, Pharrell, Nigo, and other notables make their own versions of the Stan Smith.
