The “Stan Smith” sneaker is an Adidas classic that has been recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as the best-selling sneaker of all time. As sneaker enthusiasts may already know, this sneaker is actually named after a professional tennis player who accomplished a great feat. This time, we focus on Stan Smith, the person who was chosen as the model name for the Guinness-certified sneaker. We will introduce how he came to be chosen as the model name for the sneaker and who he is.
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Stan Smith is the man behind the famous Adidas “STAN SMITH” sneaker.
Stan Smith was one of America’s leading professional tennis players from the late 1960s to the early 1970s. He was born in Pasadena, California, USA, and his full name is Stanley Roger Smith. He is a great figure, having won a total of 100 matches in his 10-year career, and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987 for his record-breaking performance in various tournaments. He is also well known as a famous tennis coach, and cannot be overlooked when talking about tennis.
His likeness is on the tongue of the “STAN SMITH” sneaker!
When the Stan Smith sneaker is mentioned, many people will think of the simple white leather sneaker form and the portrait on the shoe tongue. The person depicted on the tongue is Mr. Stan Smith. This detail is one of the most important details of the Stan Smith sneaker. The early models had a beard and a split-head haircut, giving the sneaker an intrepid impression, but the current model has a “beardless” look and a short, side-split hairdo, giving it a more friendly appearance.
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As a side note, Stan Smith was known for his trademark “little mustache” in those days. The reason why the current model’s portrait of Stan is “unshaven” is because he shaved off his beard for about 6 months, and a picture of him from that time was used by Adidas.
The origin of the “STAN SMITH” sneaker can be traced back to Mr. Stan Smith’s favorite tennis shoes, the Hylettes!
As mentioned above, Stan Smith’s great achievements as a tennis player came in the late 1960s and early 1970s, while the sneaker officially named Stan Smith was introduced in 1973. In fact, during most of Stan Smith’s active career as an active tennis player, he never had the opportunity to wear sneakers bearing his name on his feet. So what did Mr. Stan Smith wear until the Stan Smith sneaker was born?
It was the “Hylette” signature model, originally created by adidas for French tennis player Robert Hylette, and released in his honor in 1963 to commemorate his success at the French Tennis Championships. The model was released in his name to commemorate his success at the 1963 French tennis tournament. Stan Smith used this model when he won the 1971 All-Star Open and Wimbledon the following year as an active tennis player, so Adidas officially renamed it the Stan Smith in 1973 when Mr. Hylett retired. The name was changed to Stan Smith in 1973 when Mr. Hylett retired. As a result, the original model of the Stan Smith is known as the “Hylett”. Incidentally, the image above shows Stan Smith actually wearing a pair of Hylettes at Wimbledon.
There are many other Stan Smith episodes, so if you are interested, please check this article as well.
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