Welcome to “The Dassler“ First issue!
The Dassler: Number 1. Read on for enough 3 stripe goodness to satisfy the most obsessive adidas fanatic.
We welcome you to our very first edition of The Dassler! This is the first in a twice monthly newsletter, that will contain ultra rare deadstock trainers shared by legendary adidas collector Bobby Mac, new adidas releases & brand exclusive information from 3 stripe social media giant Craig (@adifamily_ ), adidas oddments & apparel reminiscences written by Woody (@dadidassler) plus loads of articles from special guest writers-honestly you should see who’ve we’ve got lined up!
Why The Dassler? Obviously this newsletter is written for 3 stripe lovers (like ourselves!) and will contain as much adidas goodness as we can stuff in. The name of our newsletter is a homage to adidas founder Adolf (Adi) Dassler and an obvious reference to his dazzling adidas trainers (sneakers for our stateside readers).
This first four issues will be free to read and we are hoping that you will see how much we put into this newsletter to subscribe for the full edition, for way less than a cup of coffee per month or even cheaper if you subscribe for the year. After this only small extracts will be available for free, with the full newsletter only being available to paid subscribers.
If you take out a paid subscription between now and May then you will receive ‘The adidas annual’ a specially designed hard back book cataloguing this years adidas releases at a highly reduced rate-but more on that in our next issue.
Bobby Mac talks adidas Zelda, Waterproof and the Wade Smith shop in Liverpool.
adidas Zelda Marine, designed by the legendary Jacques Chassaing at adidas France in 1983, both premium range jogging shoes and both iconic..
Zelda were available in two colourways, navy with grey stripes and grey with burgundy stripes. The midsole was constructed using dual density EVA foam and the outsole made up of rubber studs that acted as shock absorbers.
Zelda were produced for the European market and they were also available in the USA where the model name was changed, the navy were called Meridian and the grey, Horizon.
Waterproof were just that, they had a fully lined Goretex inner, gillie lacing and a dellinger web midsole like that on the classic Oregon and New York runners, they were only produced in Navy blue with grey stripes and contrasting heel tab.
The first stockist of these two models in the U.K. was the famous Wade Smith shop in Slater street, Liverpool, the owner Robert Wade Smith was importing some of the rarest trainers into the U.K. by travelling over to adidas distributors and sports shops snapping up trainers that didn’t exist anywhere else in the U.K., they were also brought into the country by travelling Liverpool and Everton supporters during their clubs European matches plus many other young lads were travelling abroad knowing that there was a good few quid to be made at the time.
Classics such as adidas Munchen, Trimm Trab, Olympia S, Columbia, Galaxy and Grand Slam were what most were wearing at the time but there were two even rarer and more expensive trainers that were right at the top……….Waterproof and Zelda..
These were the best of the best and nothing could touch them back then, both retailing at around £50 - £55, they cost a lot more than the aforementioned trainers, only a very small amount of lads owned them from 83 onwards into the mid 80s and until around ten years or so ago, some lads even wondered if they existed at all, as if they were some mythical shoes!
Then collecting trainers took off in a big way and become more mainstream, it kind of morphed into its own subculture.
As the amount of collectors grew massively both in the U.K. and around the world, old store catalogues started to appear as did the mythical Waterproof and Zelda.. they did exist! I’m lucky enough to own a pair of each within my collection. I’d love to see a 1:1 reissue of both models one day, Waterproof have been reproduced by both Originals and Spezial but Zelda are yet to see a reissue….
or should they remain elusive to the masses just like they were 40 years ago?….
The first adidas Spezial apparel capsule 2014-a rundown.
In 2012 Gary Aspden sat down with the ‘statement’ collections team from adidas (essentially the team responsible for adidas collaborations). At this meeting the adidas Spezial concept was broached by Gary Aspden and he was given time to put together a proposal. Gary Aspden proposed a premium adidas statement range that up until that point no one else had done, leaning heavily on the fabled adidas back catalogue and also that of the Freizeit (German for Free Time) range of upmarket leisure wear.
The proposal was accepted and the name ‘Spezial’ was deliberately chosen to be unmistakably German but also understood in English. Spezial was indelibly linked to adidas through it’s range of specialist sports shoes produced throughout the 1970’s & 80’s.
In the 1970’s adidas tracksuits were sold in boxes that carried the words ‘Sports and Leisure Wear’ I wanted to retain the spirit of adidas’s history and move it somewhere new- Gary Aspden 2014
It took Gary and his team a full year of design headaches & material problem solving to finally launch the first adidas Spezial (Autumn/Winter) capsule, with 5 shoe silhouettes and 11 pieces of apparel, in Manchester (as part of the Design Manchester 14 exhibition) in October 2014.
The Spezial logo was designed by graphic designer Gary Watson, a long time friend and collaborator of Gary Aspden-more on this in the next issue!
The 11 pieces of apparel in that very first Spezial launch were a sweatshirt, a Tockholes pullover jacket, a 2 piece Beckenbauer Tracksuit, a half zip knit, a two piece Leisure tracksuit, a Touring jacket, a patch hoody and two tee-shirts. As you will read, these pieces were inspired by archive adidas apparel that reflected the brands identity to it’s (mainly UK) followers, this was in stark contrast to the normally linear way of designing new pieces of adidas clothing. Looking back to look forward. The vintage pieces were starting points, remixed, updated rather than copied.
The Floppy Disc tee
The floppy disc could be associated with New Order but it’s also a comment on adidas Originals. When I first got a computer I had 1K memory that I upgraded to 16K. Then a 16K computer that I upgraded to 48K, you know? I used to play a game on a tape recorder. The floppy disc was the cutting edge of technology then! You see one now and aesthetically it looks beautiful but you don’t take it seriously from a technical standpoint. It’s the same with an LA Trainer — back when it debuted people were adjusting the plugs in the heel for running marathons and now you look at them and aesthetically they’re nice, but you don’t take them seriously from a technical standpoint now. That’s what adidas was — technologies that you can appreciate now for their aesthetic value. Gary Aspden 2015
‘M-way’ graphic tee
As with the Floppy Disk tee the M-Way (Motorway) tee was designed by Gary Watson. Utilising the famous 3 stripe aesthetic and heavily influenced by German electronic music pioneers ‘Kraftwerk’ and their album artwork for ‘Autobahn’.
Tockholes Pullover jacket
Named after a rural area near Blackburn and is a reference to the location of ‘Live the Dream’ a famous ‘Acid House’ rave in the late 80’s. Also heavily influenced triangular line design from the colourful adidas Colorado of 1984.
leisure sweat
The angular lines of the Tockholes/Colorado above can also be seen within the stitching on the reverse fleece of the Leisure Sweat.
Beckenbauer spzl track suit
One of adidas’s most iconic tracksuits was also respectfully reworked for the Spezial collection, with premium materials used to upgrade and update the suit. It features a woollen outer-fabric, a highly reflective material on the underside of the jacket collar and velvet lined pockets. The traditional stripes were also removed from the arms, replaced with more subtle versions upon the rib and cuffs, as well as the addition of zipped seams on the track pants for a more tapered look.
Leisure Suit
The Leisure jacket shares the same DNA as an adidas West German Casual jacket first released in 1979 from the legendary Freizeit range but with its chest pockets transplanted from outside to inside and zip fastenings replacing the buttons. It comes complete with matching trousers for a full on 1970’s Leisure look.
Touring Jacket
A dark blue 1970s football managers coat provided the design foundation for the Touring jacket.
Most of it was reworked from the branding to the proofed rip stock fabric, as well as the lining.
Believe it or not the green colour was influenced by that of a passport controller's uniform spotted at Nuremberg airport.
Patch Hoody
The Patch hoody's inspiration comes from 1980s Inter-railing adventures and the souvenir patches that were to be seen on various European student's rucksacks. The patches bore the locations of beauty spots such as the Black Forest and the Swiss Alps.
The patches were again designed by Gary Watson and then put in place mimicking the Stone Rose’s lead singer, Ian Brown’s famous ‘Money’ tee.
Spzl Half Zip Knit
Done in the same hues as the Touring Jacket this half knit is a nod to the classic woollen jumper worn by army soldiers and also vintage adidas ski wear. With an obvious spezial reworking to include the logos and a lovely shoulder band.
Craig (@adifamily_) reviews adidas new releases for January 2023.
The start of 2023 has felt quiet on the whole for new releases, but there has been a bit going on. The Berlin was expected and then delayed again, this time until the 31st of March according to retailers, so while we have seen some stockists around the world go ahead with the release, the majority will launch them on the official date in March. There are still huge delays and chaos from backlogs over the last couple of years.
The main newly released highlight so far this year has to be the MkII, a revamp of the Jeans MkII silhouette, this iteration has been worked off the Bern MKII, similar to the Jeans MkII but using a different toebox and tongue, two of the biggest changes you can make on a trainer. The original Bern MkII can be found with both lettering and no lettering applied. Some retailers have these recent pairs listed as Jeans MkII, some just as MkII and when they arrive, you will find the tags on the trainer and the sticker on the box just stating MkII. But on the adidas site, it just has them named as Jeans.
Two colourways have been seen so far, and while the blue/green is true to the original Bern MkII, the black/orange "Brussels" colourway is the first time those colours have adorned this particular silhouette. The original trainer was only seen in Bern, Valencia colourways, though a sample exists in Dublin colours. Here’s hoping we see both the Valencia and Dublin MkII very soon!
Terrace" style footwear and culture has seen a resurgence in Japan recently, and nobody is more aware then adidas. So they've been delving into Japanese colourways, shoes that were never sold to a European market, starting with the Athen and now it is ramping up a little, as a new Munchen has arrived, pictured here at Aphrodite 1994, a quality retailer and adidas stockist based in Sunderland. They sold out their initial allocation rapidly, and have restocked them three times as they proved so popular. I've not had a pair in hand myself but have been contacted by several people who have, and everyone said the same-They're lovely! Good quality sand coloured suede with the nice caramel stripes and tongue, completed with the gum sole unit. Not to be slept on, a great trainer for sure. They're part of a 3 pack, all of them featuring original Japanese colourways.
Also released in two-tonal colourways is the classic adidas Tobacco. I am a huge fan of ‘baccies’, I'll rave about them for hours as they are one of my all time favourite trainers. The shape, the sole (which is one of the most solid and substantial sole units about). Smart on foot, so I welcome these 2 pairs, the light brown are reminiscent of the OG Tobacco colourway, taken from another Made In Japan pair. While the green/grey/blue are a shade of colour I can't describe, they look superb, it's a "new" colourway as in it came about from the team at adidas looking at a pair with discoloured rubber and images of past releases. Both use a cracking cut of suede, real suede and not the recycled Grün suede that has been seen on the most recent Tobaccos .
Another pair that has stirred some interest are the Gazelle 85, again this isn't the shoe you would have got if you've bought a pair recently, its a reworking. adidas have taken inspiration from several different Gazelles, it isn't meant to be a 1:1 of any past Gazelle release, but blending details from a few older pairs to bring together a real retro feeling that's dated to the 80’s era.
Featuring 3 main signature details from Gazelles of years past. The base pattern is taken from an 80s Austrian pair that resides in the adidas Archive. Then the large Gazelle branding is used as it was on Austrian and Canadian productions in the 80s. The last signature is from a late 80s Yugoslavian pair, the non-serrated eyestay. It was later put on pairs produced in China and has been kept that way until the current day. So a lot of work has gone into them, a project that's taken time to come to fruition. The finished product speak for themselves, a beautiful addition to a timeless silhouette.
Three colourways so far, or should I say four as just before this publishes a green/white pair has just popped up. All of them come in a true to the era 80s style shoebox, complete with orginal design and airholes, to say "just a shoebox" would be doing them a massive disservice. Shoeboxes matter, let me tell thee!
I'm a big fan of bringing back trainers not seen in years, often the only chance to own wearable pairs in these retro styles is a modern reissue, gives a whole new generation the chance to own and wear these trainers that stand the test of time, look as smart now as they did back then. Past To Present. But I am also a huge proponent of these modern hybrids, often it means the shoe can be made better, easier, but the design features are true to the time period of which were first on the market, I feel that's important and a massive part of adidas evolution.
Which of course, brings me to say, adidas Spezial time is nearly here. The collection has been partly seen in some sort, the footwear was on display at the Spezial FC exhibition held at the end of 2022 in Manchester, a collaboration between adidas Spezial and END. There has been a couple of leaked images snapped of the clothing, but the most prominent viewing was Emile Smith Rowe wearing some of the upcoming clothing while being featured in the Arena HOMME + magazine. Gary Aspden himself posted on Instagram and announced the launch date of the Pre-Spring 23 collection as the 10th of February, that post has since vanished but he has now also confirmed the collection will be showcased in a short film starring Stephen Graham that premieres the 2nd of February on the SHOWstudio website while the range will be on sale on the 10th.
Further upcoming releases this year include the Milano in an OG colourway, Dublin in an OG colourway and hopefully very soon the All Black, renamed the All Team….
You’ve come to the End-to-End of the very first edition of The Dassler (geddit!)
Honestly we are made up that you’ve read it, as it’s the culmination of a lot of hard work.
If you do love our work please share your thoughts with us on socials, recommend us to your adidas loving friends and see you all on the 15th for issue number 2.
Keep wearing 3 stripes and see you in 2 weeksÂ
Woody, Bobby & Craig 👟///
Superb work lads, you can tell how much work, research and knowledge has gone in to this well done
Leigh @retrosolesuk
Thanks for putting this together. Your passion shines through in every single word.