Adidas Stan Smith Review 2024 (Are They Worth the Hype?)9 min read

The Adidas Stan Smith sneaker is undoubtedly a forever classic. Even men who are not style or fashion conscious know about this iconic shoe and probably have at least one pair in their sneaker rotation.

I’ve had my Stan Smiths for a bit over a year and a half now. It’s no ordinary pair of Stan Smiths though, it’s the special edition Kermit (the Frog) design that dropped a little over a year ago.

In this comprehensive review, I’m going to talk about the Adidas brand, history of the Stan Smith—cover the style & design, quality & craftsmanship, comfort & durability, shoe sizing, the price to performance—and wrap up with pros & cons.

Adidas Stan Smith Sneaker (A Forever Classic)

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For the uninitiated, here’s a quick rundown of the Adidas brand:

About Adidas

• CEO: Kasper Rorsted
• Founded: 1924
• Headquarters: Herzogenaurach, Germany
• Employees: 62,285
• Est. Annual Revenue: $27.3 Billion
• Exchange Listed On: OTC Markets (Ticker: ADDYY)

As one of Nike’s top competitors in the world, Adidas is equally as well-known worldwide for its shoes, apparel and equipment. But Adidas is also well known for its athleisurewear and is easily recognizable for its ‘three stripes” logo in use since 1952, predating the iconic Stan Smith white sneaker.

Second in the world only to Nike, the German Adidas brand is the most popular brand in Europe. Founded as a spiked-shoe company initially, now Adidas is just as well known for their clothing as well as their shoes.

Once the most popular shoe company before Nike snagged that title, Adidas is highly competitive in shoes, workout gear, professional sports jerseys as well as all aspects of athletic equipment in the global market.

» You Might Like: Beckett Simonon Morgen Trainers Review.

History of the Adidas Stan Smith

The Adidas Stan Smith goes back over 50 years and counting, in fact Adidas and Stan Smith recently celebrated their 50 years of partnership.

The shoe has status as the very first leather tennis shoe with the most popular version of the Adidas Stan Smith being the OG “Cloud White” and Green,” which debuted in 1965. Originally named “Adidas Robert Haillet” after the brand endorsed the French tennis pro, but in 1978 was renamed after Stan Smith, an American tennis player fresh off winning the U.S. Open in 1971.

By 1988, Adidas had sold more than 22 million pairs, earning the shoe a place in the Guinness Book of Records. The sneakers were everywhere: Jay-Z name dropped them on his 2001 album The Blueprint, Céline designer Phoebe Philo took a bow in a pair at her 2011 autumn/winter ready-to-wear show, and in 2013, Gisele Bündchen appeared nude save for a pair of Stan Smiths and socks in an Inez & Vinoodh shoot for French Vogue. (h/t Opumo).

STAN SMITH LEGACY VERSION

Even with the Cloud White and Green colorway popularity, Adidas wasn’t afraid to experiment with other classic and bold colors from red to blue, black and gray. They’ve consistently been able to straddle the fence between classic and trendy sneakers.

Today, the Stan Smith sneaker is one of the modern era’s most widely-accepted silhouettes with a collab roster of Raf Simons, Beyonce and Kanye West, though the latter likely lost his endorsement due to being a highly controversial figure.

And in 2021, Adidas launched a new-and-improved sustainable Stan Smith, with a complete overhaul, using its own PRIMEGREEN high-performance recycled materials while maintaining the iconic shoe design.

With its history covered, let’s get into the Stan Smith’s style & design.

Style & Design

Latest models of the Adidas Stan Smith is comprised of a white synthetic leather upper and soft cotton laces, it’s a simple minimalist sneaker design. A clear difference between the Stan Smith and other Adidas shoes is the lack of the three stripes angled across the shoe’s sides; instead, there are 3 rows of perforated, ventilation holes on both sides.

There’s sometimes a sketched picture of Stan Smith on the tongue of the shoe that says, “endorsed by” with his signature. In the case of my Kermits, the sketch is prominently displayed in the same lime green color as the green on the back tab.

All in all, the design and form of the shoe has basically stayed the same since it was originally introduced, but a myriad of new versions and colorways have appeared throughout the years.

Let’s delve into more specifics of the special edition Kermit sneakers.

The Kermit Stan Smith Design

My Kermit Stan Smith sneakers have an identical design to the current Stan Smith model, but instead of the classic kelly green shade, it’s a much lighter, lime (almost neon) green color, the same color as the beloved Kermit the Frog.

For details, you’ll find a sketched drawing of Kermit in the lower right corner of the shoe along with ‘KERMIT’ in all caps angled in the middle of the upper, between two of the perforated stripes. 

With all of these small details, it’s not as minimal as a plain pair of Stan Smiths, but it pays homage to the equally as iconic Muppets character. Additional details to note are on the left shoe tongue, you’ll again find Kermit proudly displayed.

And finally, the colored tab along the back of the shoe is the same lime green color, but instead of the “Stan Smith” logotype, the left shoe has printed, “it’s not easy” and the right shoe “being green,” an obvious play on words—calling out the color green and sustainability. And of course the trefoil emblem is prominently displayed as well.

Styling the Kermit Stan Smith

Now onto styling the sneaker. The Adidas Stan Smith is a superb shoe to be worn casually which is no surprise since it was originally a sports shoe, meant to be worn on the tennis court.

With the connection to tennis, the shoe naturally vibes well with the preppy aesthetic, think collared shirts or polo shirts. For example, here I’m rocking a super light fit for the warmer spring/summer climates—with the light wash jeans, heather grey, pique polo shirt and round sunglasses.

The Stan Smiths shine with simple outfits like the above.

Quality & Craftsmanship

Its style & design is impeccable, but is the Adidas Stan Smith a well-built shoe? Let’s find out.

Synthetic Leather Upper

The Stan Smith’s all faux leather upper is made with vegan alternatives to animal-derived ingredients with Primegreen, their own proprietary high-performance recycled materials.

The leather is relatively soft and has a subtle, pebbled texture when you’re close up. It features a relaxed and flexible leather shoe tongue and a rounded toe box.

Lining & Insoles

Adidas Stan Smith shoes are lined with a thin half leather lining along the back of the shoe and a light synthetic, fabric lining for the rest.

The insoles are soft cushioned and display the Adidas and Disney logo along with the Primegreen lettering which likely means the insole is made with recycled materials as opposed to synthetic like it used to be.

Outsoles

The shoes have a basic rubber outsole, nothing special like margom or anything like that. The rubber is grippy on all surfaces from concrete to wood flooring.

It doesn’t get dirty all that easily too, which is a plus. And there’s the adidas logotype and the trefoil leaves emblem printed along the side of the outsole.

Laces

The laces are soft cotton with a criss cross lacing system and plastic eyelets for added durability.

» Quick note: If you’re enjoying this Adidas Stan Smith Review, then you might like this Nike Internationalist review too. 

Comfort & Durability

So, how comfortable is the Adidas Stan Smith? In a three words, pretty damn comfy.

The fabric lining is just as soft as the leather lining and there’s nothing inside of the shoe that causes discomfort, even when wearing the shoes for long periods of time.

Additionally, I’ve worn them all day many times—last summer when I was in Las Vegas just for fun and this year traveling to Boise for a conference, and just casually wearing them day-to-day.

Furthermore, the leather his holding up just fine and the soles are still grippy and intact—nothing’s falling apart like with a pair of cheap shoes you’d get from the department store.

Finally, the shoes are easy to clean, you can simply use one of those lysol wipes or wet towel, mix it with a dash of soap and you’ll be good to go. Alternatively, you can get these disposable shoe cleaner wipes for white leather, suede or mesh from Reshoevn8r or Simple Shine. They’re convenient to use when you’re in a pinch.

SHOP THE KERMIT

Shoe Sizing

I usually get size 8 sneakers for most brands and it’s a safe bet, though there’s always a small gap of excess room behind my ankle. Since Adidas offers half sizes I decided to go for 7.5 which usually fits me well too.

At 7.5 it’s a perfect fit for me when I go either sockless or am wearing thin no-show socks. With thicker wool socks for winter, it becomes slightly snug, though not the the point it’s uncomfortable.

They do not offer wider sides and so it could be a problem area for those with wider than normal feet. My feet are normal, though narrower shoes like the Nike Killshot 2, worn for lengthy periods of time causes me some discomfort. These Stan Smith’s, however, are comfortable worn all day.

They fit normally like my Nike Internationalists and Air Max’s and shoes from other well-known brands like Greats, Koio, Oliver Cabell, Veja and Beckett Simonon.

» Related: You might be interested in this review of the Beckett Simonon Reid Sneakers.

Price to Performance

In the current economic environment, a pair of Adidas Stan Smith retail on their website runs for around $90-$100. The classic Cloud White / Green colorway can be found on sale at frequently throughout the year. Based on my observations, you can typically find it on sale from $47-70 depending on the time of year.

At this price point, this synthetic leather, sustainable sneaker is more than half the cost of some other entry-mid level sneakers like the DTC favorite, Beckett Simonon Reid which retails for $159 and more than 3x cheaper than a pair of Oliver Cabell Low 1’s which are currently on sale for $199.

They’re even a good deal less expensive than the affordable Thursday Premier Low Top sneaker which clocks in at a low $129. Finally, it retails about the same as the wildly popular Nike Killshot 2 (sold out on Nike’s website again), which is available on Amazon for $79, still more than the Stan Smith which is currently going for $47-76 on Amazon.

So with a comfortable step, a quality build (granted it’s not made with real leather) and a highly affordable price point, this iconic sneaker punches well above its weight while graded on price to performance. 

CHECK STAN SMITH PRICE

Are Adidas Stan Smiths Sustainable?

Well, you’ve gotta commend them—Adidas has been working towards making their shoes, particularly the Stan Smiths with sustainable materials.

Today, the Stan Smith is made with vegan alternatives to animal-derived ingredients or materials. And it’s also made with Primegreen, a series of high-performance recycled materials. And the upper is made with 50% recycled content with no virgin polyester.

By 2024, Adidas is committed to use only recycled polyester in all of their shoes, which is a great statement, but let’s hold them to it!

Adidas Stan Smith Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Is a renowned sneaker that’s as culturally relevant as it is a style icon
• Available in over 30 colors on the Adidas website for ultimate versatility
• Has a sharp and stylish silhouette
• Sustainably made with an affordable price point 
• Always in stock (available to purchase on their website and Amazon)

Cons:

• You’ll be following the crowd by wearing this sneaker
• Special edition drops sell out fast and can be hard to find in the resell market
• The synthetic leather upper might be a turnoff for some

STAN SMITH ON AMAZON

Wrapping Up

For additional reading, you can check out some of our other shoe reviews:

• Everlane Court Sneaker Review
• Beckett Simonon vs Allen Edmonds
• Koio Capri Sneakers Unboxing & on Feet
• Ace Marks Duke Sneaker Review
• Beckett Simonon Geller Trainer
• Greats vs Everlane (Sustainable Sneaker Battle)

And there you have it, our in-depth review of the quintessential Adidas Stan Smith sneakers. I’ve been wanting to put this review together for awhile. It’s always fun to write about products that have permeated the fashion zeitgeist and are rooted in sports history (like the Nike Killshot). 

Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed putting it together. Catch ya on the next one!

What are your thoughts on the iconic Adidas Stan Smiths?

Let’s continue the discussion over in the Gentlemen Within Private Facebook Community.

Looking forward to seeing you in there.