Following last week’s reveal of the Boba Fett Adidas Top Ten Hi, Adidas has revealed the latest addition to its group of silhouettes celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Empire Strikes Back, The Darth Vader Superstar. Oh wait, no sorry, they’re not actually called the Darth Vader Superstar, Adidas has chosen to oddly dub these kicks “Superstar Star Wars Shoes.” Last week’s release was officially named the “Top Ten Hi Boba Fett.” But these? They get the generic name.
That’s probably because, while both the Darth Vader Superstar and the Boba Fett would’ve never made it on our weekly roundup of the best sneakers. The Vaders aren’t nearly as cool as the Fetts. The Fetts were full of small fan-servicey details that reflected their namesake in a really cool way — they even came with a pouch! But the Vader Superstar does little to reflect the sith lord they’re named after aside from dress the sneaker in matte black leather.
Admittedly, we do like the stitching on the upper and the reflective three-stripes that are meant to resemble the lines and detailing in Vader’s suit. But, we would’ve liked to see Adidas lean more into functional design details rather than using more obvious signifiers like the imperial insignia on the heel tab, or the tongue portrait of Vader.
In another head-scratching move, Adidas also replaced the Superstar’s iconic shell toe with a toe box shaped like Darth Vader’s mask and helmet. Finally, the “Superstar Star Wars Shoes” feature translucent outsoles revealing the words “I Am Your Father.” Which, sure, is no doubt the most iconic line from Empire Strikes Back, but to print it on the bottom of a shoe? Hilarious.
It’s a shame that of the full collection, which has so far featured a Luke Skywalker Stan Smith, Stormtrooper NMD R1, Lando Calrissian NMD RI V2, and a Boba Fest Top Ten Hi, the Darth Vader Superstar — ahem Superstar Star Wars Shoes — are the weakest by far.
Vader deserved better than this. He killed the Emperor! Oh, wait…
The Darth Vader Superstar is set to drop on September 17th for a retail price of $120. Pick up a pair at the Adidas webstore.
