Stan Smith from a shoemaker's point of view
More than half of the buyers are women. . a rarity in "mita sneakers."
PROFILE
. was born in 1994. His love of sneakers led him to work as a store staff member at "MITA Sneakers" in 2015 , and he has been in charge of the store's PR since 2020.
--What is the Stan Smith's place in the "adidas Originals" lineup?
Kusagaya:
Stan Smiths" are loved by a wide range of people of all ages and genders, not to mention the sneaker freaks of yesteryear.
The brand is particularly popular among women, with more than half of the "Stan Smith" customers at "Mita Sneakers" being women. This is a rare occurrence for "MITA Sneakers," where the majority of customers are male.
-- "MITASU Sneakers" also carries "JAPAN SMU", the Japanese version of "Stan Smiths", don't you? What is the position of "JAPAN SMU" within "adidas Originals"?
The Stan Smith "JAPAN SMU" has been on sale since 2021. . Based on a white synthetic leather upper, but with different details depending on the model.
Kusagaya:
SMU" stands for "Special Make Up. Japan SMU" by adidas Originals is a limited edition designed in Japan and only available in Japan.
. "mita sneakers" is producing the promotional visuals and selling the products. It is often misunderstood as a special order or collaboration, but it is a model exclusive to the sales channel of "adidas Originals" for the Japanese market.
. the visuals for "JAPAN SMU.
- Could you tell us about the background and aims of "mita sneakers" in creating the promotional visuals for "JAPAN SMU"?
A promotional visual for the Stan Smith "JAPAN SMU" created by "Mitasneakers".
Kusagaya:Since "mita sneakers" has been involved in many special orders and collaborations, many people may consider it in the context of designing and arranging sneakers. However, our role as a store is to purchase products made by manufacturers, digest the background and story of the products in our own way, and deliver them to our customers.
For adidas Originals' JAPAN SMU project, Eiyuki Kunii, creative director of "mita sneakers," received an offer from adidas Originals and took on the role of creating visuals for the promotion in the sequence of events leading up to the sales launch. The purpose of the project was to tell the story of the "JAPAN SMU" concept and the essential appeal of each model to customers.
Do you have any specific examples of how you communicate "essential attractiveness"?
Kusagaya: For example, for the visuals released in October of this year, we brought in a gleaming Louis XIII style picture frame from France in reference to the fact that "Hylette," the original "Stan Smith," is the signature model of French tennis player Robert Hylette. As the old saying goes, "A picture is only as good as its frame," and the frame is an important element in evaluating the quality of a work of art. By displaying the completed "Stan Smiths" in the frame, we were able to accentuate the luxury and elegance of the shoes.
