Superstar Thomas

In the first edition of SC Editorials, we have had the pleasure of inviting you inside one of Denmark's perhaps most dedicated collectors' homes. Thomas has been collecting a very special shoe model for almost 30 years. Read on to hear which model it is and why it was this one that caught Thomas' interest.

New York, 1985. On a venue in Queens are Joseph ”Run” Simmons, Darryl ”D.M.C.” og Jason ”Jam-Master Jay” Mizell in the midst of a concert whilst dressed in the iconic three stripes from top to bottom. The words ”We a mean team, my Adidas and me / We get around together, we’re down forever / And we won’t get mad when caught in bad weather / My Adidas” are booming from the speakers, and there is a clear overview from the stage of the audience holding up their Adidas Superstars while they from the top of their lungs scream “My Adidas” when Run asks “What’s the name of this jam?!”...

From a venue in New York and halfway around the world to Aarhus, Denmark on a sunny day in June. Although it might be hard to figure out what the similarities are between a Run-D.M.C. concert in 1985 and Aarhus in 2021, there is one thing. The love for the iconic Adidas Superstar is still alive and well in a three room apartment. This is where we meet Thomas, or Superstar Thomas as we commonly refer to him in the store… and for good reason. Thomas has been collecting Superstars for almost 30 years and has managed to collect more than 100 pairs. He even has the iconic sneaker tattooed on his left calf.

If we were ever in doubt whether we were visiting a true collector, any doubt was put to shame the minute we stepped in Thomas’ apartment. He opens the door wearing an Adidas t-shirt, and in the entrance there are multiple pairs of Superstars lined up - and an framed, old t-shirt with “RUN DMC” in upper case letters… but more about that later.

Thomas frequently stops by the shop; and it might not come as a surprise that unique Shelltoe are the main thing Thomas is interested in when he’s around. The special - and rather specific - taste in sneakers goes all the way back to his childhood and youth in Risskov, suburb to Aarhus. Right outside his parents house was the neighborhood’s best road, and it ended up being the natural meeting place for skaters and rollerbladers.

“Back then everyone was wearing Air Walk and Vans. I just thought that it would be cool to “stick out” and wear something else. The choice landed in a white pair of Adidas with black stripes. Ever since then it’s just been the shoe that fit the best”

Thomas’ collection has been steadily growing over the years. From wall to wall in the bedroom there are blue and white boxes stacked up from top to bottom. So many that quite a few boxless pairs have taken refuge on the floor with what seems like a planned randomness. The unique, and rather subtle, decoration of the wooden floors seems to break with the neat order that the rest of the pairs are arranged with throughout the dedicated white IKEA bookcases. It kind of serves as a picture of just how comprehensive Thomas’ collection is. From the classics to the unique and rare ones that we have never heard of with histories tied to them that are just as unique. One of them being a yellow and purple sequin embroidered pair with one of the shoes missing its laces.

“If you look up the article number you’ll just find an all white pair. It used to be as well, but history is that Kim Kardashian once dated the american football player Reggie Bush and that she painted and decorated them in connection with a charity event. I bought the shoes off of eBay and they came with a certificate that they were sold by “Kim’s Corner” which was part of “Reggie’s Corner” at the charity event. So, yeah, I found them whilst browsing on eBay and now they’re mine!”

Beside the memories from his childhood and the wish to wear something different, one thing specifically stands out to Thomas that really made Superstars the sneaker of choice. In 1988 Run-D.M.C. visits Aarhus to give a concert that Thomas unfortunately didn’t have a ticket for…

"My Adidas", which was referred to in the introductory section, marks not only a musical cardinal point, but also a milestone within Adidas' legitimacy as more than just a sports brand. Something that Run-DMC was largely a part of, and which for Thomas becomes decisive for the fact that it is the German sports giant's iconic, shell-nosed rubber shoe that he throws his love after. just became the Superstar for Thomas, and in 1998 he visited Run-DMC Tangkrogen in Aarhus, a concert that Thomas does not have a ticket to, but which he and some friends still go to.

“Well, me and a couple of friends decided to go anyway, so we jumped on a scooter and drove to the concert. We ended up sitting outside with a couple of beers so we could enjoy some of the music. On our way there the fuel pipe of my scooter fell off, and rather randomly I had brought a point rod that we used to reattach it. One of my friends then got the great idea that we could use the point rod to cut the fence open and sneak in. And so we did… to the tunes of Run-D.M.C.”

“At the concert they are throwing t-shirts to the audience; and I catch the one that’s hanging in the entrance. At the time there were no autographs on it, but rather randomly I bump into a guy coming out of the backstage area. He was on his way home, so I asked if I could buy his backstage card. And so I did. For two beers and 57,50 DKKR I got to meet all three of the members backstage. I get their autographs and I even end up accompanying them to Blitz, a nightclub in Aarhus, where I spend the rest of the night talking to them… wearing a couple of Superstars… that I unfortunately forgot to get signed. But hey, I got the t-shirt!”

Thomas is, in many ways, a personification of what the sneaker culture started with - and what it originally was about. The hunt. The rare and unique. The small, subtle details and differences that, to the untrained eye, might seem like minor differences in materials and color combinations, but to a true collector represents vital differences. Thomas doesn’t collect Superstars because of any hype or to make a quick profit. Quite the contrary, actually. Besides the aesthetics, it’s the nostalgia and stories related to the Superstar that makes the Superstar what it is. Thomas is a part of an international community of dedicated collectors that help each other get their hands on the more sought after pairs.

The Superstar, just like Thomas, is a true original. A “one of a kind” that hasn’t changed character albeit times and trends have changed. Thomas, in other words, is a true sneakerhead. And if you’d like to see more of Thomas’ vast collection and follow him on Socials, you can find him on instagram under the handle “whisky_ace” and on his website “www.superstar-addict.dk”

Besides that, you can find our entire selection of Superstars online and in-store right now!