The iconic Adidas Campus is another classic we included into our review section this week as we got a chance to get a close up on one of its 2022 versions. Released in 1980 as a basketball shoe, this is today regarded as one of the most popular retro sneakers of all time. It arrived at a time when Adidas was already popular with the Pro Model, the Superstar, Stan Smith or the Gazelle. Much like these, the Campus quickly turned into a lifestyle sneaker and was included into the hip-hop revolution of the 80’ and 90’s as an attire centerpiece. With its simple, classic look this style is easy to adapt to various streetwear styles and enjoyed as a casual shoe by more than just sneakerheads. For the last four decades the brand kept this style relevant by including it in countless collabs such as the one with BAPE & UNDFTD, Footpatrol, Kazuki Kuriashi and more recently Southpark. It is one of the adidas retro shoes that makes a comeback almost each year.
How They Fit
It was one special edition of this shoe that we crossed our path with, the Tokyo Manga edition released in 2022. While it has an atypical branding and design the shoe maintains the silhouette and the features of the classic Campus. On a first try you can tell that the shoe runs narrow, like most of the styles of that era. While they run true to size, if you have wider feet you want to go a half size up on these. Even so, given that most Campus sneakers feature leather upper you will need to break them in for a while. If still unsure about the size you need, you can check out our size chart here.
Upper
In general, the upper of the adidas Campus featured a nubuck leather and the pair we got was not different. It is a material that fits the retro look perfectly and it gives it some serious durability. On the flip side, however, these may give you some blisters at the beginning if you have a wide foot and the breathability is quite limited. For this reason I would say that the Campus is not the best choice in the summer unless the upper is made of textile like the one we had some years ago made of Hemp. The design of the upper is pretty classic and has many similarities with the Superstar and Gazelle, with the three stripes on the side and leather heel tab and tongue. The elongated tongue is specific to this style and while is cool when worn pulled out, it tends to slide sideways as you wear them, something that some may not appreciate.
Sole Unit
The sole unit of the adidas Campus is the standard one for the retro shoes, with a rubber cupsole covering the typical EVA foam midsole. On top we have the classic insole made of EVA that tends to wear off easily. What we were reminded of while we did this adidas Campus review is that these are pretty flat and over time the feet tend to slide outwards. If you are a normal pronator this will not be an issue but if you tend to be an underpronator and leave your weight on the outer side of your shoes these will not work for you in the long run. The same is the case for the opposite case, when you are an overpronator. Otherwise they are still a nice pair to wear for light exercise in the gym or outdoors but wearing them casually would be best. Given that they do not provide much arch support, standing up in these for long hours may not be ideal.
Bottom Line
This iconic retro sneaker remains to this day one of the best choices when choosing to rock a retro look. By doing this adidas Campus review and take a closer look at this special edition of these sneakers we were reminiscent about some of the pairs we came across over the years.It is indee a durable shoe that is best to be worn as an everyday shoe, even a “beater” as some may say. Adidas is constantly coming out with new colorways and versions of it as there is still a good demand for this classic and you can be assured that this will go on for a while.
