Continuing their collaborative celebration of the 40th anniversary of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, German sportswear giant Adidas and Star Wars have announced the release of their fourth Star Wars-inspired shoe design.
Styled after the battle-scarred armor of the original Mandalorian, Boba Fett (okay, so maybe technically he isn’t a Mando), the new Adidas Top Ten Hi basketball sneaker features “battle scars” and weathered high-cut uppers in the bounty hunter’s trademark olive green. Red trim and yellow eyestays echo Fett’s secondary colors, his badge adorns the heel, and a large brown pouch on the side of the shoe symbolizes his utility belt.
Adidas was founded by Adolf “Adi” Dassler (adi-das) in 1924 in Herzogenaurach, Germany. In 1936, Dassler convinced U.S. sprinter Jesse Owens to use his hand-made spiked shoes at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. Owens went on to win four gold medals, making the name and reputation of Dassler shoes known to sportsmen and trainers around the world. The company – which boasts current annual revenues in excess of $25 billion – has had its share of controversy in recent years. In 2012, Adidas posted a picture on their Facebook page of a planned shoe line containing shackles designed by American fashion designer Jeremy Scott. The picture and design were roundly criticized and Adidas quietly canceled the product. In 2018, Adidas promoted a line of Soviet themed items that were taken off the market after a social media outcry. Making the shift to shoes inspired by a safe and popular property like Star Wars was a smart move!
Boba Fett first appeared in the highly acclaimed fifth installment of the Star Wars saga, The Empire Strikes Back, which was released 40 years ago on May 21, 1980. Drawing on other characters from the iconic film, Adidas released a Stan Smith (the tennis player, not the guy from American Dad) tennis shoe with a Luke Skywalker design and an NMD R1 “Stormtrooper” running shoe in July of this year, and will be releasing a Lando Calrissian-themed NMD R1 on September 17. All four designs – which come packaged in exclusive collectible boxes -- offer interchangeable lace deubres (an ornamental shoelace tag), and with the Boba Fett sneakers, wearers can choose between olive “Boba Fett” or silver “Star Wars” motifs.
The Star Wars/Adidas Top Ten Hi “Boba Fett” will be released via the Adidas UK website on September 24 with an MSRP of approximately $111 USD. Fans can only wonder when a Mandalorian or Baby Yoda inspired shoe may be coming!
Source: Hypebeast