About

adidas Campus

On most sneakers suede is an accent. On the Campus it is the starting point: the whole upper is made of it, and that sets how the shoe looks, feels and ages. Lay it next to a leather model and you see at once why it reads softer without turning sloppy.

00s or 80s: two shoes, one name

Before you look further: almost every Campus you see here carries 00s or 80s after the name, and that is no year but a version. The 80s follows the narrower, lower proportions of the original shoe. The 00s is clearly wider and taller in build, with a thicker midsole and a fuller silhouette, the same parts, different proportions. They also fit differently as a result, so watch which of the two you have in front of you when comparing.

Look at the edge of the stripes

Here sits the detail most people miss. The three stripes have serrated rather than straight edges, with perforations in them, so they seem to bite into the suede instead of lying on it. On a Gazelle the stripes lie as flat bands on the panel; here they have become part of the surface.

Wide where the rest is narrow

The silhouette is lower and wider than its relatives’. The midsole is thicker and sits on a gum outsole, which makes the shoe look heavier than a Samba but also plants it more firmly on the ground. The name is printed on the side panel, and a leather patch sits on the heel.

From the court to the record store

The Campus comes from basketball, but its second life is better known than its first. In the eighties and nineties it got picked up by hip-hop groups who made the model standard wear, just as with the Superstar, but with suede instead of a shell toe. It has come back every ten years since as if it never left.

On this page you can see which versions of the adidas Campus are running hottest right now according to the Hypescore, from what price they’re available, and how many shops have them in stock.