adidas archive is so vast and deep that it hides forgotten treasures. However, other adidas gems prefer to remain in plain sight and renew their style to fit new times, that’s the case of Campus and Gazelle.
The nineties produced an astonishing amount of styles that overlapped brazenly: grunge looked for the counterculture, hip hop started the nineties with Afrocentric trips with traces of sneaker collector to end up mixing bling bling and Timberland, trail shoes stepped on red carpets and supermodels stole the style of her dads.
Two silhouettes, two styles
The nineties trend has brought us back two very recognizable silhouettes that were born long before. The adidas Campus was originally called Tournament and appeared in the seventies as a more accessible version of the Superstar. In the eighties, it took off with a new name, Campus, although its success was based on the fact that, being made of suede, it allowed for a multitude of bright colors.
The adidas Gazelle has an almost mythological origin in the early days of the brand. Developed as a multifunctional shoe, the different uses were identified by its colour, blue for all types of training or red for indoor activities. During the nineties, they were the official shoe of British pop and from there they leaped to the feet of Kate Moss.
Choose your band
Campus and Gazelle, two similar silhouettes that went through the nineties walking in parallel paths,the Campus came from the United States, hip hop and collectors’ shelves, while the Gazelle came from the United Kingdom, brit pop and fashion. As stories are never straight, Campus and Gazelles ended up mixed during the nineties.
The return of the nineties as a trend has also brought the return of Campus and Gazelle. The adidas Campus, attached to the streets, is back in its eighties version and in a renewed version in the 00s with padded tongue. The adidas Gazelle keeps its 90s style, but is also updated with a three-layer rubber outsole to elevate you to another level. Of course, you don’t have to choose sides anymore.
