Adidas revitalizes iconic SL Loop Runner

During the 1972 Munich Summer Games, adidas made the decision to design not only performance shoes for their athletes, but also sneaks for them to wear when the job was done and they were waiting to step up on the podium. Hence, the birth of the SL ’72 sneaker, an athletically inspired, stylish shoe meant for impressing crowds.

Today, adidas has drawn inspiration from their 42 year old success and revamped the stylish sneakers to create the adidas Originals SL Loop Runner. The new version of the Munich shoes has been reworked to create a lightweight shoe with colourways of either ‘solar red’ and black, or lime green and royal blue, with a graphic print featured on the uppers.

These shoes are certainly a style statement, which is precisely what they were meant to be several decades ago. It is interesting to note, however, that those years ago, this would have been seen as a style statement fairly limited to athletes alone. The renewed version of the Munich pack is likely to be embraced by a wide swath of consumers without the same intrinsic connection to the world of sport. In the shots released of the new shoes, the models are not running, but rather featured in casual clothing. They are also not wearing socks with their sneaks – a practices that is not embraced by most conventional runners. Yet, in tune with the increasing overlap between the worlds of fashion and sport, they want to wear the shoes first designed for and made famous by professional athletes.