Adidas revamps its iconic Stan Smith sneaker with recycled materials

As climate change becomes an increasingly urgent topic, brands like Adidas are brainstorming sustainable solutions. The company announced its iconic Stan Smith shoe would be produced out of 100 percent eco-friendly materials moving forward, in an effort to completely ditch virgin plastic use by 2024.

Adidas is just as renowned for its stylish shoes as its sustainable ones. For 20 years, the sportswear giant has been listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index as a leader in sustainability, heading eco-conscious streetwear designs. Last December, Adidas dropped an entirely sustainable collection with supermodel Karlie Kloss, and teamed up with Fear of God’s Jerry Lorenzo for a long-term partnership. By 2024, the brand hopes to use nothing but recycled materials for its products.

Going green — The newest silhouette to get a sustainable makeover is the Stan Smith, in celebration of its 50th anniversary. Originally designed by tennis star Stan Smith, the sneaker has remained a classic, having undergone a revival during the 2010s and then being embraced by Marc Jacobs and Raf Simons, who redesigned the shoe. Worn by everyone from your mom to Kanye West, the silhouette is the first by Adidas to follow its new sustainable guidelines.

Beginning a new era for the shoe, Adidas is overhauling the sneaker from the inside, using its own PRIMEGREEN high-performance recycled materials. The brand has replaced the shoe’s virgin polyester material with recycled polyester, a design principle that speaks to Adidas’ wider mission to end plastic waste. A premium PU coating sourced from Japan will mimic the original shoe’s leather feeling.

Rounding out the eco-friendly style are outsoles made from recycled rubber and a lacing system crafted from recycled fabric. Despite all the material changes, Adidas maintains that fans won’t be able to tell the old and new versions apart. The Stan Smith’s green and white silhouette keeps true to its OG design, besides the fact that this version is more metaphorically green than the rest.

We stan — Seeing as the sneaker has remained a classic for 50 years now, it’s safe to say it won’t be going out of style anytime soon. In fact, its sustainable upgrade has made it more appealing than ever. Available now on the Adidas website, the eco-friendly Stan Smith leads the way for other popular silhouettes awaiting their makeover. We’d love to see something similar from Jerry Lorenzo, who’s currently working with the brand’s basketball division. Sustainable basketball shorts, anyone?