Adidas adds yet another colorway to its best-performing cash cow of recent years with the Handball Spezial “Earth Strata” (stylecode IG1978). Shadow Red, Off-White and the mandatory gum sole–officially a women’s release, but let’s be honest: that doesn’t stop anyone.
Spezial inflation
Once upon a time, the Handball Spezial was an obscure handball shoe from the seventies, seen only on the feet of terrace culture enthusiasts. Then the masses discovered it, and ever since, Herzogenaurach has been churning out a new colorway every few weeks. It’s the familiar adidas formula: milk one silhouette until nobody can stand the sight of it anymore. So the question with every new version isn’t whether it’s a good shoe–the Spezial has been one for fifty years–but whether this particular colorway is worth adding to the collection.
Earthy, dark red and more sensible than expected
Here, the answer is a favorable one. “Earth Strata” combines a deep, muted Shadow Red with Off-White stripes and the classic gum sole, resulting in a palette that’s far more grown-up than yet another neon color. This is the Spezial for anyone who likes the silhouette but doesn’t want to look like a walking festival flag. The release is listed as a women’s model, which in practice mainly says something about the sizing; if you fall outside that size range, you know what to do, while those within it simply get first pick. The suede and low-cut construction are as simple as ever: flat, understated and with no meaningful cushioning. You buy this for the way it looks, not to walk to Santiago in it.
Timing is everything
I can keep the price discussion brief: the Spezial isn’t an expensive shoe, but that’s precisely why the percentage difference between retailers is often substantial. Prices currently start at [sz_price_from stylecode=”IG1978″], and experience tells us that colorways like this–popular but not insanely hyped–regularly end up in the sale once adidas announces the next shade. So there’s only any need to hurry if your size is starting to become scarce.
The sensible verdict
The Handball Spezial “Earth Strata” isn’t news, innovation or a collector’s item. It’s colorway number who-knows-how-many of a shoe whose hype peak is probably behind it–and that’s exactly why this is a great time to buy a pair: the frenzy has faded, but the shoe remains. Compare prices and available sizes across retailers via Solezilla, where you can see which seller is currently charging [sz_price_from stylecode=”IG1978″]. That way, you can be sure you’re paying a simple price for a simple shoe.