Stan Smith is one of the best-selling, and most iconic, adidas sneakers of all time but most people don’t know the person behind the phenomenon. If they did, they’d know him and the shoe share a lot of the same values.

For this project, there was no formal brief. Instead, the goal emerged organically in conversation between the agency, adidas Originals, and Stan Smith himself, who’s said the shoe’s success has nothing to do with him.But we believe it has everything to do with him. The ambition of the project became to re-introduce the person behind the iconic shoe and prove how Stan embodies the same characteristics people love about the shoe.

To do this, we spoke to the most progressive generation in the most nostalgic medium: a printed book

This book gives everyone a chance to step into Stan’s shoes and ?meet him?. The simple tennis court-inspired design system becomes the frame for over 100 stories about Stan the man, and Stan the shoe. There’s stories from Stan himself, stories from his close friends, and stories from people around the world who love his shoe. Just like Stan’s own memories, the book follows a non-linear path, turning the most rational tool - the alphabet - into a cultural encyclopedia as unpredictable as Stan’s journey.

Few people who buy Stan Smith’s shoe today know he is a real person. Even less know what he looks like. But if they did, they’d know Stan has the very same characteristics we love about the shoe. Stan is an open-minded person. Most importantly, he has a vision of unity and togetherness, which his shoe silently brings to life. Ultimately, the shoe mirrors Stan Smith’s accomplished path in a symbiotic relationship.Using the shoe itself as a strategy, we decided a timeless sneaker should be talked about in a timeless medium. In an age where influencers rule social media, the most impactful way to connect with such a progressive audience was through the most traditional medium: a printed book.

To bring the creative idea to life, we created a 336-page book, sharing over 100 stories about Stan the man, and Stan the shoe. The book was published by Rizzoli and available to the public everywhere from Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble to exclusive retailers like Dover Street Market. But the book wasn’t just a book. It also came to life through a world tour, where Stan met thousands of fans, asking them to share their shoe stories. He asked each to share their stories on social platforms with the hashtag ?#StanSmithForever?, scaling the idea beyond the physical world and into a digital one.

The book wasn’t just a book: it came to life generating a world tour where Stan met thousands of fans in cities likeLondon, Tokyo, New York and LA.

At each stop of the tour, he hand wrote the title of the book himself on the covers, giving each fan a book as person as their own shoe.In addition to the world tour, the book launch was covered by over 20 top-key media titles. A true testament to the democratic nature of the shoe itself, it was featured within a wide collection of media outlets - ranging from fashion to business to lifestyle.

Press includes stories from publications such as Vogue, Sneaker Freaker, Forbes, Yahoo, Dazed and more. Reflective of both the niche and mass appeal of the shoe, the book was sold at major retailers like Barnes and Noble and smaller fashion boutiques like Dover Street Market.