adidas Tests An Inline Take On The Superstar Ripple

Sometimes it doesn’t hurt to have an out-of-house designer take a new design for its first spin. Pharrell Williams has demonstrated that plenty in the past year and change, whetting appetites with adidas Jellyfish before the Three Stripes churned out the XLG 2.0 to feed into that sky-high demand. While adi (and we) still maintain that the two are distinct designs, there’s a throughline all the same. Perhaps it’s time for another collaborator’s monopoly to wind down, as adidas trots out a GR version of the Superstar Ripple.

For the uninitiated, this severe overhaul of the Shell Toe has previously been restricted to one Edison Chen, churning out more than half a dozen looks for the jagged retake of the ’80s icon. Most notably, he brought Bape into the mix on the silhouette, creating a three-headed merger between adi and two of their most steadfast modern collaborators. By comparison, this pair looks positively restrained, draped in “Core White” leathers up top and an off-white midsole. The palette is certainly more wearable on a day-to-day basis, but trust, the most show-stopping aspect of CLOT’s statement wear is still plenty intact for those looking to turn heads.

The adidas Superstar Ripple “Core White” is available now, retailing for $120.