PIxEL to Life

adidas SL72 History

The Vintage adidas SL72 trainer has developed into an iconic and popular trainer since it was first released.  The SL72 trainer was made out of breathable nylon and suede which made it super light.  In fact, the SL in the name stands for Super Light and the 72 represents the year they were released in time for the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.

The trainer was originally manufactured as an extremely comfortable and light weight option for jogging and running.  As with most popular vintage adidas releases, the trainers have since found their way into high street rural fashion on par with adidas Gazelles and Forrest Hills.

I recently ask the twitter following of @vintage_adidas why they felt the SL72 has become so popular and iconic since they were first released over 40 years ago.  @the_itch1980 was quick to point out the popularity in the trainer followed the cult TV series Starsky and Hutch.  During the programme Starsky would wear the vintage adidas SL72.

When the Starsky and Hutch Movie was released in 2004 the demand prompted adidas to re-release the SL72s.  Unknown too many adidas actually released 2 different versions. The SL72 Originals and the SL72SH.  The SL72 re-releases were more similar to the vintage classics and didn’t contain any suede on the inside of the trainer.  The SL72SH had a blue rubber tongue.  Although they were different it would be very hard for the untrained eye to spot the difference.

There is still some confusion as to which trainer Starsky actually wore.  Some people would argue that it was actually the SL76 that Starsky wore although the programme started in 1975 one year before the 76s were released.  @vintage_adidas follower @blangaz1 believes Starsky wore the SL76s as he noticed the stripes go from the eyelet trim to the sole which is not the case on the SL72s.  He backed up his argument by explaining that Starsky didn’t wear them in the first series.

Whether we are talking about the SL72’s or the SL76s one thing is for sure, they are both vintage adidas classics and will probably be for a number of years to come.

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