A vital part of skateboarding, aside from the board itself, is your skate shoes. From a style and performance perspective, adidas has quietly been building one of the best skate shoe offerings out there.
While skaters may know about adidas’s skate models for their pro riders like Tyshawn Jones and Lucas Puig, many are unfamiliar with other options from The Three Stripes. There are plenty of classic adidas silhouettes that have been retooled specifically for skateboarding. This comes from their ADV line.
Featuring enhanced durability and comfort, adidas’s ADV skate shoe line includes classics like the Samba and the Gazelle. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, adidas has a skate shoe for you. Follow along as we cover the best adidas skate shoes you can buy right now!
Top adidas Skate Shoes
The adidas Tyshawn silhouette offers a stylish design influenced by retro basketball silhouettes. With a mid-top and low-top cut offered, they’re sure to fit the needs of every skater and casual wearer.
Lucas Puig crafted one of the best skate shoes with his adidas Puig silhouette. Like other adidas skate shoes, the adidas Puig offers a low-cut design with durable materials on its upper and a grippy sole unit. Not only can these be worn with your typical skating gear, but they can also be dressed up due to the luxury-inspired design.
The iconic adidas Superstar gets a skate-ready makeover in the form of the Superstar ADV. With its durable leather upper, reinforced Adituff toe, and flexible Geofit collar, this shoe ensures exceptional durability and support, all while maintaining the classic shell-toe design. Its molded sockliner and grippy rubber outsole make it a versatile choice for skateboarding and everyday wear.
One of adidas’ archival silhouettes, the adidas Campus 80s, received a modern makeover with the recently introduced adidas Campus 00s. Beefing up the normally slimmed-down model, The Three Stripes had skaters in mind with the puffy tongue, enlarged branding details and laces, and the silhouette’s suede construction. A perfect sneaker that merges the world of skating and fashion’s latest trends.
Dennis Busenitz signed with The Three Stripes back in the early days of adidas Skateboarding (2008, to be exact). Since then, he has introduced the world to arguably the most popular adidas skate shoes. A series of versions of the adidas Busnetiz exist, some offering vulcanized sole units while others take inspiration from archival adidas models of the 70s and 80s. Its low-top design is perfect for skaters who prefer the freedom of movement in their kicks and is excellent for casual wearers as they slide right into that vintage adidas design language we all know and love.
A timeless silhouette in the adidas lineup, the classic design of the Gazelle ADV has become a model many skaters love. An array of color schemes, cheap retail pricing, and, like the Superstar, a flat sole have led to the model becoming a major hit in the skate world. A skate-ready iteration that changes the construction to fit the needs of the sport.
Another archival adidas silhouette intended initially for indoor soccer, the adidas Samba, has recently become a significant fashion statement. Skaters have taken a liking to the ADV version of the model for, once again, its flat-soled design and low retail price. Although the hype for the model is increasing, there are many choices for all types of skaters, meaning there's a pair out there for everyones style.
Dating back to the 1980s, the adidas Forum made a massive comeback in 2020. The low-top retro sneaker fit right in with fashion trends of the time and eventually was recrafted into a skate-ready version dubbed the adidas Forum ADV. By modifying the paneling of the sneaker, the fit, feel, and durability for skateboarding were enhanced dramatically, all while retaining that classic look we all know and love.
Beginning her adidas career in 2016, Nora Vasconellos has become one of the best women/non-binary skaters on the professional scene. At the end of 2022, adidas introduced her signature sneaker, the adidas Nora. Her vintage style oozes through this low-top silhouette as she took inspiration from the adidas tennis archives to create her signature model. An excellent choice for those who like the look of archival adidas sneakers and low-cut skate sneakers.
Sneakerhead from South Florida who turned his passion into a career. Concerts, music, trying new restaurants, and catching the latest movies are some of the things I enjoy when not writing for Sole Retriever. Email: nick@soleretriever.com
