Relaunch of Stan Smith
ADIDAS TREND MARKETING
Relaunch of Stan Smith
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Named after the most successful tennis player, Stan Smith, the classic silhouette has made its’ way from the court to the streets in the early 70s. Removed from the shelves, the iconic Stan Smith returned optimized but true to its heritage. Through a limited distribution strategy, the style icon reached high desirability and became the best-selling shoes of all time – again.
“My son came up to me and said, ‘Dad, did they name the shoe after you or you after the shoe?’”
— Stan Smith. former world No.1 tennis player and iconic sports and fashion shoe
Phoebe Philo, British Fashion Designer. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire. Making the Stan Smith an emblem of chic minimalism at her fashion show bow.
Stan Smith, an American tennis player nicknamed ‘Gentlemen of the courts’, is one of the greatest and most successful tennis players ever.
“Gisele Bündchen strips down and laces up Stan Smiths for ‘Vogue’ Paris November 2013. Gisele has been shot by photographer duo Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin.” Source: Highsnobiety
100 pairs of customized Stan Smith shoes with personalized tongue labels had been created for the most influential people within the fashion, music, art & entertainment industries. Among them the fashion designer Nicolas Ghesquiereand his muse Charlotte Gainsbourg, the British-French actress and singer.
“I have a personal connection with the Stan Smith, as it is fair to say that for ten years, from my teens well into my twenties, I didn’t wear any other shoes — only Stan Smiths. It was very obvious for me to collaborate with adidas.”
— Raf Simons. Belgian fashion designer, formerly creative lead at Jil Sander, Dior and most recently Calvin Klein, runs his long-established namesake label.
INSIGHT
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Celebrated around the world, the Stan Smith was still selling but lost its stardust. In order to revive the sneakers success and fuel adidas’ growth, the icon was removed from the market in 2012 and relaunched through a fashion and trendsetter exclusive distribution strategy in 2013.
INNOVATION
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Scarcity marketing tactics shaped the teasing campaign, creating hype around the iconic silhouette. The French Vogue editorial with Gisele Bündchen kicked-off the teasing phase. Personalised shoes were seeded to influential people within fashion, art, and entertainment and posted to their social media feeds, while Stan Smith himself appeared in branded films.
IMPACT
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The Stan Smith sneaker became a revered style icon, beloved for its aesthetic by designers, editors and collectors alike. It gained supreme global visibility at fashion shows before conquering the hearts of the streets worldwide. Over 50 million pairs were sold by today, resulting in the company's best-selling shoe of all time.