1960s Adidas Japan trainers return in black and white

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It’s nice to see the 1960s Adidas Japan trainers back on the shelves. But these reissues in black and white differ slightly from past versions.

If we are going to compare and contrast, we need to look at the archive version from 2020, which sold out pretty quickly at the time. It’s no surprise, really. It was stunning. The shoes were almost too good to wear, but not quite like the ones here.

This is another take on the Adidas Japan. A different model from the sportswear maker’s past? Quite possibly. It’s certainly not a carbon copy of the 1964 Olympics running shoe.

You can probably see those differences: the heavier use of suede, a slightly different shape (it looks a touch wider to me), different branding, and, of course, the perforations on the leather upper.

So, this is a take on Adidas Japan rather than an archive model. If you are a collector, you love old-school Adidas, or you want to pick up a good-looking pair of trainers, both colours are still worth a look.

Take your pick from white on black or black on white. Both offer a leather upper with midfoot and toe box perforations, a tonal double-stitched suede T-toe, a slimline herringbone rubber outsole, gold metallic branding, and Adidas branding on the heel and on the tongue.