Star Wars‘ pun-driven annual holiday is getting an assist from Adidas and a Japanese art gallery for a collection of three sneakers releasing this week.
Nanzuka has been tapped to curate the three-way collaboration featuring the Superstar XLG, NMD_R1 and Stan Smith models. All three sneakers take distinct approaches in pulling from different Star Wars characters, though they do all share an aversion to color.
The Superstar XLG, a remix of the classic shell-toed sneaker with oversized proportions, sees its upper taken over by an original artwork from Hiroki Tsukuda depicting C-3P0 and R2-D2. Translucent black stripes allow the piece to be seen uninterrupted beneath.
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A white and cream Stan Smith takes a more minimalist approach with a cartoonish grey Stormtrooper debossed near the heel and designed by the artist James Jarvis. The only other signifiers come through a subtle Star Wars logo debossed on the suede tongue and a co-branded insole.
Rounding out the trio is a an all-black NMD_R1 with glossy overlays that depict Darth Vader’s mask above the toes. The black-on-black look means one could easily miss out on the motif, and an easter egg appears on the heel in the form of red “Most Impressive” text calling out the quote from his first duel with Luke Skywalker in “The Empire Strikes Back.”
All three Star Wars x Nanzuka x Adidas sneakers will release May 4 for Star Wars Day — “May the fourth be with you” — but the Superstar XLG may be the only one dropping stateside, as its the lone of the three to appear on Adidas’ website. That sneaker is priced at $150, and the other two may end up as Japan-exclusives.
About the Author:
Ian Servantes is a Senior Trending News Editor for Footwear News specializing in sneaker coverage. He’s previously reported on streetwear and sneakers at Input and Highsnobiety after beginning his career on the pop culture beat. He subscribes to the idea that “ball is life” and doesn’t fuss over his kicks getting dirty.
