Double Tap to Zoom
Atmos
1 / 5

What's bigger than a superstar? An Ultrastar. An adidas Ultrastar, to be exact. 

Nearly 40 years after it was first released, adidas Made in Germany is bringing back the Ultrastar. Since it first touched down, adidas' Ultrastar has existed as quite the anomaly. 

Unlike its predecessors, like the adidas Superstar, which started as a basketball sneaker, the Ultrastar was created as a lifestyle, hip-hop sneaker. Specifically, it was inspired by the burgeoning B-boy breakdancing scene that was gaining serious traction at the time. Less dribbling and dunks, more popping and locking. 

Even though the Superstar is largely respected as the first sneaker of hip-hop, the Ultrastar was created with the genre in mind, inspired heavily by Run DMC's established fondness for the original Superstar.

Your Highsnobiety privacy settings have blocked this Instagram post.

Available exclusively in Japan through atmos, adidas' Ultrastar wears a retro antique white shell, contrasted by a stark white crocodile leather upper that gives the shoe its retro-textured charisma.

Your Highsnobiety privacy settings have blocked this Instagram post.

Other aged relics, like the enlarged Trefoil at the tongue, are complemented by forest green accents, which transport the shoe right back to 1988, sans boombox.

adidas is prone to reheating its own nachos, and when you have a lineage as strong as the Three Stripes, tapping into your own archive is just a no-brainer. If ain't broke, don't fix it. Just recreate it 40 years later.

Highsnobiety has affiliate marketing partnerships, which means we may receive a commission from your purchase. Want to shop the products our editors actually love? Visit HS Shopping and subscribe to Shopper for recs on all things fashion, footwear, and beauty.

We Recommend
  • After the World Cup, adidas Takes Its Talents to the Golf Course
  • adidas’ Understated Hybrid Sneaker Is Where Military Meets Football
  • Pharrell's Sculptural adidas Stomper Is a (Jelly) Fish Out of Water
  • adidas' F50 Has Evolved Beyond the Pitch
  • This adidas Performance Runner Is Why Bigger Is Better Again
What To Read Next
  • There's Never Been a Better Time to Be a Fabric Nerd
  • Crocs’ Trusty Clog Has Been Proteinmaxxing Like Never Before
  • When the World's Simplest Sneaker Starts Experimenting, You Get GAT Loafers
  • Only Satisfy Could Make Tasteful Climbing Gear Out of Vintage Levi's
  • New Balance Is Sneakily Becoming a Basketball Sneaker Powerhouse
  • Chase Sapphire Reserve and Highsnobiety Kicked It for the Final Watch Party