Somehow, adidas Out-Stanned the Stan Smith
adidas' SPZL sneakers are almost shockingly classic. These are not hyped shoes but throwbacks to OG adidas footwear styles worn and loved by the real heads, Jürgen Klopp and Liam Gallagher included.
As such, adidas' A. Aspden SPZL shoes were not meant to be a head-turner.
But for anyone seeking a more minimalist low-top shoe that's less obvious than adidas' signature Stan Smith, look no further.
The adidas A. Aspden SPZL is a slick sneaker named for the father of Gary Aspden, the overseer of adidas SPZL. The shoe's shape is swiped directly from the terrace trainers of the '80s, with a curved and yellowed sole informed by the adidas Hawaii sneaker, itself a terrace classic.
And, yes, the Stan Smith adjacency is intentional.
With that crisp white leather upper, how could it not be?
Available from adidas' website for $120, the A. Aspden SPZL is a reflection of the multitudes contained by adidas SPZL.
On one hand, you have updated classics that cross over to mainstream success, like the almost absurdly popular Handball Spezial sneaker that's effectively a slightly slicker Samba.
And then you have the real retro stuff that's entirely informed by adidas' popularity among old-head British guys.
The adidas A. Aspden SPZL sneaker is a little bit of the latter but it has the potential to hit like the former. It's just a matter of folks finding it.
