Iconic Adidas Stan Smith trainers re-invented: fully Vegan

“They’re colourful, they’re iconic and they are 100% vegan” announced Stella McCartney on Instagram. Of course, they are fully vegan sneakers. You would expect nothing else from Stella’s cruelty-free fashion brand.

The new take on the classic Stan Smith trainers, the world’s most ubiquitous fashion trainer will be available on 2nd December.

The second version builds on her first Stan Smith sneakers which were made of faux leather in 2018. The current version is similar but with subtle differences and comes with interchangeable white or rainbow colour laces.

“The ‘leather’ upper is synthetic,” McCartney told Vogue. “The Stans usual glues were replaced with animal-free alternatives because glues typically used in the production of shoes and accessories derive from fish or animals, and are full of chemicals which are harmful to the environment.’’

McCartney is “very proud” of the new design. “Consumers really are more conscious of where things come from now, and how they are made. 

Saving animal lives

As she says, many people “don’t really care or can’t tell the difference between the real leather and faux leather pair”. With this change away from real leather and animal-based glues a lot of animals’ lives are being saved. It took her a while to get Adidas to make the change but she got there in the end.

The launch of the first version Stan Smith brought McCartney new predominantly younger generation customers.

“So many young people came into our stores to enquire about the Stan Smith, asking questions about what the trainer was made with, telling our staff about why it was important for them to choose a vegan shoe over a leather one and what it represented”.

Without doubt according to McCartney who recently launched the first-ever plant-based, recyclable fur-free-fur coat, “this is the future”.

Stan Smith: instantly recognisable

Smith’s face appears on one shoe and McCartney’s face is on the other. 

“She wants to have all my shoes vegan – I’m not sure if that’s going to happen or not,” Stan Smith once told Harpers Bazaar. “But you never know, she has a big influence on fashion and has been working with Adidas for a really long time. This is the first time I’ve shared my face with someone else’s. With her, it’s great. Somebody else might not have been so good.”

The Stan Smiths fashion trainers have brought Smith worldwide fame. “But, trainers aren’t my first thing. My first thing is being a pretty good tennis player” he said.

It is an extraordinary story that the 72-year-old should be so associated with fashion. The former world number one American tennis player won the US Open in 1971, and Wimbledon in 1972 in an unforgettable final against Ilie Nastase.

The unisex Stella Stan Smith will cost £235.