Adidas Positions Its Archival SL72 Sneaker as Next ‘It’ Shoe With a New Campaign and Crop of Colorways

Adidas is signaling a major focus on the SL72 through the Thursday launch of a new campaign and seven different colorways for the archival sneaker.

Just as the name suggests, the SL72 made its debut in 1972. “SL” is short for “Super Light,” as the track shoe was remarkably lightweight for its time. This latest push isn’t exactly a revival because the SL72 hasn’t exactly disappeared — Wales Bonner has been collaborating on the silhouette since before it took on the Samba — but it does suggest the model will become a new priority.

A men’s blue, white and red colorway and women’s in green, white and yellow are the stars of the campaign shot by Kenny Germé and styled by Cece Liu to lean into the ’70s aesthetic. They’re also two of the seven colorways that released Thursday, with two more for men and an additional three for women also having dropped. Adidas has another colorways for the SL72 on its release calendar to kick off April, and you can expect to see even more as the year continues.

Adidas’ focus on the SL72 comes after the famous success of an even older sneaker, the Samba, as well as the resurgence from other models from the era such as the Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66. Although its origins are in the late-’90s, the recently revived Puma Mostro also counts ’60s track spikes as a source of inspiration and features a thin, flat sole.

The Adidas SL72 is out now in new colorways through Adidas’ website and select third-party retailers. Pricing runs from $90 to $100 depending on the makeup.

About the Author:

Ian Servantes is a Senior Trending News Editor for Footwear News specializing in sneaker coverage. He’s previously reported on streetwear and sneakers at Input and Highsnobiety after beginning his career on the pop culture beat. He subscribes to the idea that “ball is life” and doesn’t fuss over his kicks getting dirty.