Adidas and Hender Scheme Squashed Their Beef and Dropped an Official Collaboration
By Jake Woolf.
Since 2013, Japanese label Hender Scheme has become known for its untreated leather versions of classic sneakers like the Air Force 1, Air Jordan IV, Reebok Pump Fury, New Balance 574, and boots like the Timberland 6-inch. But their kicks are essentially unauthorized homages—art projects, but for sale—and sportswear giants like Nike and Adidas couldn't help but notice. And over the past few years, both of those brands have released their own Hender Scheme-ish versions of their sneakers, like Nike's vegetable tan leather Air Force 1s, or Adidas's vegetable tan leather EQTs. But now, in an unprecedented show of cooperation, Adidas and Hender Scheme have come together on a properly-sanctioned assortment of Adidas sneakers both old and new, including the Adidas Superstar, Micropacer, and NMD R1, all given the full-on Hender Scheme treatment.
In the case of the Superstar and Micropacer, these are styles that Hender Scheme already made—only without the logos and stripes—before it got the co-sign from the Three Stripes itself. The only difference now is that Adidas's branding is more prevalent (as in, it actually exists) on the sneakers. The NMD R1, though, is a new challenge. The original version features two modern Adidas technologies, Primeknit and Boost. Replacing them both with leather looks beautiful, but might be lacking in the comfort department. That's just what you get when you replace a knit upper and futuristic foam soles with leather. (Maybe don't jog in these.)
The shoes are much more in line with Hender Scheme prices than Adidas, with the Superstar and Micropacer both retailing for $900, and the NMD R1 going for a cool grand. But unlike the originals they're based on, Hender Scheme's versions are built to last for years, and will only get cooler, comfier, and more broken in with time. To put it another way: for the amount of time you'll have these, you could easily drop $900 on 10 pairs of Superstars.
But this collaboration is meaningful beyond the sneakers themselves. The competitiveness of the sneaker industry almost never leads to a brand seeking out the talents of a independent label that's inspired—or, uh, "inspired"—by the bigger brand's archives. But it's starting to happen, and suggests a refreshing receptiveness on the part of the major brands. It wasn't long ago that Virgil Abloh was making his own Air Force 1-inspired kicks, and now he's got his own official collaboration with the Swoosh. Off-White and Hender Scheme don't just have official collabs because their unofficial versions got too popular for the sportswear giants to ignore them, but because their takes on the brand's classic products are forward-thinking, and deeply cool. Working with those brands lets Nike and Adidas introduce higher-end sneakers and grab a little cool-by-association. Which makes more sense than just leveraging the smaller companies' aesthetic to make a quick buck.
Available September 2nd at adidasoriginalsbyhenderscheme.com as well as other retails like Dover Street Market, Kith, and Barney's.
To see more of our favorite kicks, check out the entire "Sneaker of the Week" series here.
This story originally appeared on GQ.
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