An investigation into Pharrell’s mystery Adidas trainers
We've got our answer
Updated on July 25th at 12:48: ladies and gentlemen, we got our answer.
Sound the menswear klaxon: a new ‘fit pic of Pharrell Williams has just dropped.
Stepping out of a hotel in Paris yesterday, the world’s best-dressed multi-hyphenate wore a pretty laidback ensemble. On top, there’s a Kenzo cap, orange-tinted aviators and a Louis Vuitton sweatshirt that colour matches his headwear perfectly. Then, there’s a pair of blue Noah shorts and an itsy-bitsy LV Bandoulière bag with charms and a chain. Streetwear mixed with high fashion: very Pharrell indeed.
But it’s what’s on his feet that caught our attention, because we couldn’t for the life of us identify the shoes that he’s wearing.
On first inspection, these look like a pair of Adidas Adistar Cushions (confirmed by our resident trainer expert, Joseph Furness) a running shoe first released in 2005. You can cop yourself a pair from the brand’s mainline collection, or as of Monday, an updated ‘cloud white, night indigo and collegiate red’ silhouette will be on offer from the ongoing Sporty & Rich collab.
But Williams’ exact pair is nowhere to be found.
There’s been some evident tweaks to the original model, too. 3D details form the upper, and the orange and beige colourway isn’t available in the original design. It begs the question: could this be a prototype of the next Adidas shoe he’s reinventing?
The German sportswear marque and 51-year-old have been collaborating for a decade now, the first pair being Stan Smiths in tonal hues of red, blue and black. In June, news broke that the next shoe to drop would be the Superstar 92, but its release date is yet to be announced.
Obviously, just because Williams is wearing them doesn’t confirm that he designed them. Maybe he got his hands on an exclusive design that we’re yet to know about.
Finally, an answer from a source arrives in my inbox just before lunchtime. But sadly, it’s not the one we wanted.
These aren’t a Pharrell Williams design that we can buy in a future drop, nor are these joining the mainline of Adistar Cushions.
They’re custom pair styled of off Adistar Cushions and made for him by Adidas.
Case closed. But one thing’s for sure: when Pharrell Williams endorses a pair of new trainers, the sneakerheads will, too.
This story originally appeared on Esquire UK
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