How the adidas Stan Smith Became a Timeless Shoe That Makes for the Perfect Holiday Gift

Before basketball made the signature sneaker its own, the idea of marketing an individual athlete in namesake apparel was reserved for tennis. It all began in the 1980s with tennis player John McEnroe endorsing innovation for Nike. Later, the likes of Andre Agassi, Michael Chang, Roger Federer and others would follow suit, pushing product on court and in commercials. Today, Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka are best in show when it comes to record-breaking talent and on-court fashion. Years before all those endorsements occurred, adidas had operated in the tennis space by selling a shoe composed of white leather with perforated sidewall branding and a rubber outsole. The idea for a tennis shoe was informed by Horst Dassler, son of adidas founder Adolf “Adi” Dassler. From 1965 to 1971, the leather tennis shoe was worn in competition by French tennis star Robert Haillet, who served as the main endorser for adidas on the court and clay. Because of this, the model was marketed as the adidas Robert Haillet, solidifying the idea that signature footwear existed firmly in the world of tennis. But when Robert Haillet retired from tennis in 1971, so did the approach of using his name to sell a shoe. Two years

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