To kick things off, weāre honing in on the Manchester, which has been treated to a few different iterations down the years. The adidas SPZL Manchester was originally designed to commemorate the Commonwealth Games being hosted by the city in 2002. A second super-limited run of 500 pairs dropped in 2010 and the latest reworked “GT” version, arrived in 2016.
The adidas SPZL Manchester 10th Anniversary Edition (2010) photo by OiPoloi
Why Manchester?
There are few love stories better told than that between a Mancunian and his new pair of adidas. Itās a bond like no other and one that comes with a long and illustrious history.
Adidas and the North West go a long way back – and much of that affinity began up in the stands of Old Trafford, the home of the country’s most successful football team, Manchester United. A famously working-class area, the sport has always offered an all-important form of escapism, and throughout the ’80s, adidas produced some of the clubās most iconic and recognisable kits.
As a result, the fabled three stripes have become synonymous with terrace culture and the modern ācasualā fashion itās gone on to shape. There are few shoes that are a better example of that working in such a glorious way, than with this particular release.
What inspired the design?
While adidasā footballing influence has traditionally lay with the red side of Manchester, it would have been foolish to discount those in the sky blue of rivals Manchester City.Ā
Gary Aspden, former trefoil Global Head of Entertainment, joked at a recent SPZL exhibition that the brand had to factor in both United and City when deciding how the trainer would look.
āWeād decided on the silhouette and just needed a colourway. We couldnāt do all red as that would p**s off the City fans, and we couldnāt do all over blue as that would p**s off the United fans. So we put both on there. Got it out there just in timeā.Ā
adidas SPZL GT Manchester (2016). Photo by iamdeadstock.com
Featuring an unmistakable sky blue upper with contrasting red stripes, the trainer was loud in all the right kind of ways – somehow nailing this fine balance between being visually striking, yet effortlessly understated all at the same time.
Then of course, there was the music. An area where Manchester excels – musical bragging rights are something Mancunians take VERY seriously. The Stone Roses, Oasis, Happy Mondays, the Hacienda all of them had strong ties with the three stripes and back then, if the Gallaghers were wearing something, best believe everyone else would follow suit. As if anything else was needed to reinforce the connection between Manchester and adidas, but both Liam and Noel have collaborated with adidas to release special edition versions of, you guessed it, the SPZL.Ā
What makes the SPZL so popular?
The SPZL is always going to be a favoured silhouette up north. adidas has cemented its legacy to the point where they donāt really have to push too many boundaries when it comes to reinvigorating the latest drop. Itās meant to be simple, you can wear it with shorts, jeans, down the pub, to the shops, wherever you want, whatever the weather, itāll always look great.
The SPZL built on an already winning formula that adidas had cracked with the Samba, Stan Smith and other similar models. This was just an evolution and one that has quite clearly stood the test of time.Ā
Combine that with all of the histoy,, all of the ways the brand has shaped the identities of so many generations in Manchester, slap a ridiculously good looking colourway over it and youāve got what is undoubtedly one of the greatest releases to come from the City Series.Ā
Article written by Bradley Lengden
