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adidas Originals is placing the Stan Smith back at the center of its cultural conversation, and the approach is very intentional. Instead of relying on major campaigns, the brand is leaning into what has always made the silhouette work. The Stan Smith has long been one of adidas’ most recognizable models because of its simplicity. It is clean, easy to wear, and open enough for different creative worlds to place their own meaning onto it.
In the lead-up to Paris Fashion Week, adidas Originals used the Stan Smith’s signature green as a visual thread across its social channels. One campaign by photographer Thibaut Grevet captures everyday objects—a park bench, a measuring tape, a bucket, and other familiar items—all rendered in the silhouette’s unmistakable shade of green.
adidas also took over the Opéra Garnier with a billboard painted in the same signature hue, turning one of the shoe’s defining design cues into a simple but unmistakable statement. Rather than spotlighting the sneaker itself, adidas is using its most recognizable accent color to remind people just how deeply the Stan Smith is embedded in everyday culture.
That direction continued during Paris Fashion Week, where adidas Originals hosted a two-day creative residency with TTGT Studio on June 26th and 27th. The event took place inside a multi-floor Parisian home and used the Stan Smith as the central reference point. The setup was built around the idea of the shoe as a utilitarian object with history behind it. It’s not just a tennis sneaker from the archive, but a familiar piece that has moved through fashion, art, music, skateboarding, and everyday style without losing its heritage.
The residency brought together a wide group of artists and collaborators, each interpreting the Stan Smith through their own medium. Yung Lean turned the highest room of the residence into a live spray-painting space, working with only a ladder, spray tools, and a minimal classical soundtrack. James Blake performed in an intimate room with two other musicians, focusing on the relationship between sound and the objects used to create it. Mark Gonzales joined members of the adidas Skate team in a studio setting that connected his long history in skateboarding and art with the simple function of the board itself.
Other contributors included Ibeyi, Debbie, Cyprien Gaillard, Guillermo Santomà, Mathilde Vallantin Dulac, and Thibaut Grevet. Their contributions gave the residency more range while still keeping the Stan Smith as the clear throughline. Debbie created a sound-focused space with bespoke vocal compositions and a 12-person gospel choir. Ibeyi performed in a stripped-back setting with voice, rhythm, percussion, and piano at the center. Grevet previewed work from his upcoming monograph, FAR, while also creating portraits of the participating artists. Together, the rooms framed the Stan Smith less as a product being advertised and more as a design object that continues to show up in creative spaces.
The event also included an archival exhibition featuring pairs transported from the adidas archive in Herzogenaurach. Alongside iconic releases, the display previewed several unreleased Stan Smiths, bridging the model’s history with its future. With a silhouette this established, adidas has to be careful not to treat the archive like the whole story. Its history gives the Stan Smith credibility, but new projects like this are what keep it connected to today’s audience.
That forward momentum also carried into Willy Chavarria’s Spring/Summer 2027 runway show in Paris. Two unreleased Willy Chavarria x adidas Stan Smith colorways were teased during the presentation. Chavarria took his final bow wearing a white pair, while Stan Smith himself was seen in a textured green version. The moment was subtle, but it said plenty. adidas placed the shoe between a respected designer, the athlete it was named after, and a fashion audience already paying close attention.
The pairs keep the familiar white leather base but add details that give the model a different feel. Green accents, floral embroidery, and textured heel panels introduce a softer visual language without straying too far from the Stan Smith’s identity. The best Stan Smith updates usually work because they do not overthink the shoe. They keep what people already recognize, then bring in just enough new detail to make the pair feel fresh.
For adidas Originals, this renewed focus makes sense. The Stan Smith is one of the brand’s strongest bridges between sport history and lifestyle. It began as a tennis shoe, but over the years it became a regular part of wardrobes far beyond the court. Designers wear it. Artists wear it. Skaters have adopted it. So have people who simply want a clean sneaker that goes with an everyday fit.
With the Paris residency and the Willy Chavarria tease happening in the same week, adidas appears to be giving the Stan Smith a more thoughtful lane again. adidas is not trying to turn the Stan Smith into something unfamiliar. The brand is leaning into what people already know about the shoe while giving the right collaborators enough room to bring something new to it.
Shop the adidas Stan Smith now on adidas.com and expect a ton of new styles and collaborations to launch in 2027.
