About a fortnight ago I succumbed to something that has been lingering at the back of my mind for sometime now, and had my first online meeting with AA. You might be forgiven for thinking how very maudlin it is for someone so young to have a problem with such a dangerous substance, and, fortunately, you needn't worry about depressing yourself further, for my addiction is not to alcohol, but to Adidas.
That's right, Adidas, that German sportswear manufacturer. More specifically, their line of retro, 'Original' trainers. I first developed an interest in the brand at around 16 when I bought my first pair of 'Superstars', the trainer made famous by American hip-hop trio Run DMC. Since then my collection has grown exponentially, to the point where I genuinely don't have room for anymore in the little one-bed townhouse I share with my girlfriend. I daresay her patience, much like my storage space, is too running low.
My preference has been for the types of trainers favoured by the football 'casual' movement of the 1970's and 80's, which still influences terrace culture and style today. It's clear to see how my obsession has been aided by my fanatical support of Manchester United and the time I've spent following them, but recently I've started to wonder whether there was something deeper-rooted that has caused this hobby of mine, that being something as mundane as being Northern.
Spend time around the youthful, working class males of any Northern city and you'll see a variety of labels and styles of clothing being sported, but the one constant will, 90% of the time, be a pair of Adidas upon their feet. Spend the same time in London, for example, and you won't see that same ubiquity. For me, all of my idols growing up wore Adidas, it just seemed like that was the done thing. It wasn't just David Beckham's Predator-befooted right boot that grabbed me, but the city's musicians too. Noel Gallagher of Oasis, and Ian Brown of The Stone Roses, have regularly spoken of their love for the brand with the three stripes, and both have since gone on to design their own pair of trainers for the brand. Gallagher has said when he started out, all that mattered to him was 'his guitar, his leather jacket, and a pair of Adidas trainers.' Whereas Brown has said should you see his current, ongoing collection, you would swear he was the 'greediest man alive.'
Gallagher believes it was the 70's generation of kids that caused the brand to take off in the North-West and Merseyside, as their sporting idols, the likes of Franz Beckenbauer and Muhammad Ali, grabbed their attention whilst adorned with the Adidas trefoil. To look like them was to be like them, and as the brand gained more popularity, it engrained itself deeper into Northern working class culture.
The trend shows no signs of abating. Take a look on social media nowadays. Instagram, Twitter and Facebook have many thousands of posts trending with terms such as '#adigang' '#adiaddict', and '#adiporn.' I'm happy that, despite how much of my time and money I'll spend on this obsession, which currently stands at 42 pairs of trainers, I'll always have the love and understanding of my #adifamily. In saying that, I've just bought a pair of Pumas.
image taken from www.retrokillerclothing.com
rjsashlord 