adidas has a rich tennis history, known for partnerships with Robert Haillet, Stan Smith, Rod Laver and Ilie Theodoriu Năstase, and throughout its 60-plus years in the game, it has also released various co-signed pairs as well as icons such as the Grand Slam. Now, almost forty years since it was first released, the Grand Slam is back in a traditional tennis colorway of “Footwear White/Green/Off White.”
Crafted from leather and suede, the pair is about as original-looking and feeling as it gets. “G.S.” branding hits up the lateral mid-panel, Trefoils appear on the tongue and alongside the adidas scripture on the midsole, as well as on the heel, and the shape looks particularly spot-on for a pair that harks back to 1984.
Most evidently, the Grand Slam appears with its proprietary Vario Shock-Absorption System technology — a set of three variable-density pegs in the rear section of the midsole that can be tweaked by the wearer to alter the shock absorption required.
For this particular pair, adidas references both its tennis past and the terrace culture that adopted casual sneakers such as this. It does so by applying an argyle check print inside the shoe, using the green, white, and orange colors found on the exterior. Akin to the uniform of tennis players and those on the sidelines in the ’80s and ’90s, it gives the shoes a casuals culture aesthetic that could easily be paired with a Fred Perry polo of the era.
Rounding out the shoe, somewhat intriguingly, is the hang-tag which is themed on a burger. Take a look at the adidas Grand Slam above, and pick them up from 43einhalb for just €119.95 EUR when they drop on March 1.
In other news, adidas has just dropped a pair of oceanic Parley UltraBOOSTs.