Adidas taps into 90's nostalgia with the refreshed edition of the iconic Supermodified

Adidas taps into 90's nostalgia with the refreshed edition of the iconic Supermodified

- By Ramon Gonzales

The modified version of their timeless shelltoe design became standard wear during metal music's end of the millennium Renaissance.

Holding true to the twenty year cycle, give or take a few years, designers at Adidas have heeded the call to bring back a classic that became synonymous with late 90's counter culture. The Supermodified was the brand's bolstered version of their signature Shelltoe silhouette.

The breathable mesh, the reinforced nubuck and the signature double tongue offered a skate-friendly variation of the three-stripe hallmark. When the original first landed back in 1997, progressives among the emerging culture of heavy music took to the shoe, with the design becoming linked with bands like Korn, Limp Bizkit and a then emerging Des Moines, IA outfit known as Slipknot.

For the 2022 reissue of the beloved classic, designers emphasized the OG by tending to the important details. They were so meticulous in honoring the '97, designers sourced the original advertisement that emphasized the double-tongue element of the shoe and used that imagery for the new version's sock liner.

In fact, the initial release of the refreshed edition even goes so far as replicating the prototype that first launched in 1997. The original advertisement for the shoe featured a design that had a white heel counter, even though the shoe that became so iconic didn't. Recreating the shoe that was depicted in that original ad campaign, Adidas designers went all in connecting with the nostalgia of the era when guitars were downtuned AF and magazine ads still reigned supreme.

The 97 design of the Supermodified will be available soon, though the initial launch of Supermodified 2022 that plays off of the prototype is already available.

We found the relaunch online - HERE

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