The Balenciaga version certainly had its viral moment, but like most noisy moments, the echoes soon peter out, and people forget. Charging nearly £700 for a version of the Stan Smith that looked like it had been worn and donated to your local recycling programme was certainly one way to draw up attention. In the end Balenciaga took most of the flack and accusations for cosplaying poverty (a contentious subject in the fashion industry), but adidas and the Stan Smith walked away from the moment relatively unscathed. Once again, the Stan Smith’s legacy remained intact.

The Raf Simmons and Brain Dead editions are also examples where one major design tweak proved to be enough. Transforming the dotted Three-Stripe on the sidewall into an R and Brain Dead’s head logo established the collaborators’ presence, letting every sneakerhead know this wasn’t any ordinary pair. So, either adidas’ have loosened its restrictions since, or the involved parties felt they didn’t want to alter a near-perfect shoe.

Another positive chapter in the tennis shoe’s history was the Homer Simpson collaboration. Sticking close to the shoe’s original form, turning The Simpson’s iconic meme into a Stan Smith turned out to be a match made in heaven. A few genius touches here and there turned it into a future favourite, selling out worldwide. This is the best example from recent where working within the close confines of the Stan Smith led to a brilliant execution.

We love to see the Stan Smith return to shelves, but we’ll be keeping a close eye on how the sneaker community is feeling about all the new iterations.

For more information on this iconic adidas trainer, keep it locked to The Sole Supplier!