As Star Wars Day approaches on May 4th, fans around the globe are gearing up to celebrate in style. This year, the festivities are set to be particularly exciting with the re-release of The Phantom Menace in theaters nationwide, igniting nostalgia and excitement across generations of fans. adidas has partnered with renowned Japanese artist Shinji Nanzuka to launch an exclusive capsule of sneakers and apparel that promises to blend iconic Star Wars motifs with contemporary street style.
In light of these thrilling developments, it's the perfect moment to dive into a galaxy not so far away and explore the best Star Wars sneakers ever released. Given the ongoing collaboration between adidas and Disney, the force is strong with The Three Stripes, dominating our roundup with designs that creatively fuse the essence of the epic saga with cutting-edge fashion. Whether you're a die-hard collector or a casual fan looking to flaunt your fandom, join us as we explore the top Star Wars sneakers that have left a mark on both worlds.
Star Wars x adidas Top Ten Hi C-3PO
Anakin Skywalker began working on C-3PO when he was still Little Annie. The human-cyborg relations expert was brought to (real) life on the adidas Top Ten in 2020. The gold upper mimics the metallic sheen found on 3PO, while his portrait graces the tongue tag and the heel. Other details referencing the robot come on the heel with his quote from A New Hope: “But sir, nobody worries about upsetting a droid.”
Star Wars x adidas Nite Jogger R2-D2
Typically by the side of C-3PO, R2-D2 gets immortalized on the adidas Nite Jogger silhouette. The robot’s blue, white, and grey appearance is translated onto the mesh, leather, and TPU upper, with a portrait of R2 found atop the tongue.
Star Wars x adidas Top Ten Hi Boba Fett
Boba Fett is one of the most menacing bounty hunters in the galaxy. adidas brought Boba’s suit to the adidas Top Ten Hi, celebrating the man whose father was used to create the clone army. A worn-in green hue is used on the upper with an added pouch attached to the collar. Symbols for Boba are found across the upper, and his portrait is displayed atop the tongue. The special pair gets packaged in an action figure-like box depicting Boba and extra Boba Fett lace dubraes.
Nike SB Dunk Low Pro Jedi
While not an official collaboration with Star Wars, the Nike SB Dunk Low Pro Jedi channels the look of Yoda and his outfit with green and tan hues. Vibrant neon green on the laces and heel tab nods to the green saber used by Yoda, while his brown robes are represented by the toe, midfoot, and heel. The pair was released in 2004 and is considered a grail SB Dunk Low for collectors.
Nike SB Dunk High Tauntaun
Another nod to the Star Wars universe from Nike SB, this Nike SB Dunk High from 2011 paid homage to the creatures that inhabit Hoth. In The Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker and Han Solo ride a Tauntaun, and Han saves Luke's life by heating him inside the belly of his dead mount. The SB Dunk High gets a makeover that mimics the fur and color scheme of a Tauntaun with grey and blue-grey suede placed across the upper.
Nike SB Dunk High Boba Fett
Long before The Mandalorian became popular, thanks in part to the hit Disney series and Pedro Pascal's acting chops, Boba Fett ruled as the famous bounty hunter for Star Wars fans for many decades. It was so much so that the Nike SB team paid homage to Boba Fett in an unofficially themed colorway of the SB Dunk High in 2008. Mirroring Boba Fett's signature armor look, green and black covers most of the upper, with a white collar and midsole. Red accents and hits of yellow bring everything together for the Nike SB Dunk High Boba Fett.
Star Wars x adidas ZX Flux
In 2015, adidas’ now-defunct miadidas program, a customization program that allowed users to create their sneaker designs, offered custom Star Wars-themed adidas ZX Flux colorways. Customers could choose heel prints featuring Stormtroopers, Darth Vader, R2-D2, C-3PO, and more. Additionally, the designer could change the outsole print to feature various characters from the franchise and on the tongue tag.
Star Wars x AlphaEDGE 4D Death Star
One of The Empire’s most ambitious projects was developing the Death Star… and the second one… and the third one with The First Order. While all three failed, adidas looked to the iconic planet killer for inspiration on a special adidas AlphaEDGE 4D. The all-black upper features Star Wars co-branding atop the tongue and a graphic on the midfoot’s TPU panel that depicts the circular cannon of the Death Star. On the heel sits the phrase The power of the Dark Side.
Star Wars x Vans
In 2014, Vans teamed up with Star Wars to create a capsule of sneakers themed after the characters from a galaxy far, far away. Multiple silhouettes and colorways were crafted to celebrate the franchise. The Authentic featured Boba Fett and Stormtrooper motifs, while a second colorway utilized a bandana print with Stormtroopers intertwined into the design. Master Yoda takes over a Vans Authentic and Sk8-Hi Reissue while the classic artwork from A New Hope appears on the Classic Slip-On. Finally, the Vans Era gets a comic-book-style graphic from vintage Star Wars merchandise.
Star Wars x adidas NMD_R1 Darth Vader
The adidas NMD_R1 was a classic of the mid-2010s, and adidas chose this model to honor Lord Vader. A black-based upper sees red accents, mimicking the color of his Lightsaber, running down the center of the sneaker and taking over the heel tab. A portrait of Darth Vader is found atop the tongue, and the Boost midsole comes in a gradient of black to red. Finally, the heel contains Vader's quote to his son Luke in The Empire Strikes Back, “Join me, and together we can rule the galaxy.”
Star Wars x adidas Samba Boba Fett Sarlacc Pit
Boba Fett was presumed dead when Luke Skywalker and his crew escaped the shackles of Jabba The Hut and kicked the bounty hunter into the Sarlacc Pit on Tatooine. While he later escapes from this creature’s stomach, adidas looks to this moment for a tributary adidas Samba colorway. The pair sports Boba Fett branding in place of Samba text and features graphics on the heel that depict the tentacles of the Sarlacc creature.
Star Wars x adidas Harden Vol. 4 Lightsaber
James Harden’s fourth signature sneaker with adidas, the Harden Vol. 4, brings a purple Lightsaber to life through UV-reactive paint on the midsole. Alongside the purple glow on the midsole, the upper features hits of purple and black in a zebra pattern, while metallic gold accents are found on the elbow macaroni-shaped eyestay.
CLOT x Star Wars x adidas Super Skate Hoth
In 2010, Edison Chen’s CLOT label teamed up with adidas to celebrate the Battle of Hoth from The Empire Strikes Back. The sherpa-lined interior is an obvious nod to the Tauntauns used on the planet, while the tan shades resemble the outfits worn by Han Solo and Luke on the planet. Tongue tags depict T-47 Airspeeders, the same ship used to tie up the legs of the encroaching AT-ATs, while the heel features a split design with a rebel crest on the left and a Trefoil on the right.
Star Wars x Crocs Classic Clog Grogu
Grogu, affectionately called Baby Yoda before his real name was revealed, from the Disney+ show The Mandalorian is brought to life in Croc form with a special Classic Clog colorway. Nods to the show are present, with Jibbitz featuring Pedro Pascal’s helmet, Grogu’s favorite blue macarons, a blue butterfly featured in the episode The Tragedy, and a Sorgan frog. Grogu himself is present on the forefoot and insole, while a portrait of him in his pod is found on the sides of the sports mode strap.
Star Wars x Crocs Classic Lined Clog Chewbacca
Crocs also worked with Star Wars to bring Chewbacca to life on the Classic Line Clog. The clog's foam portions feature a graphic print of Chewie's fur, and the inside is lined with fuzzy fur. Jibbitz on the Classic Clog includes a portrait of Chewbacca, the Millennium Falcon, and a quote from Han Solo, "Let the Wookiee win," a quote from A New Hope.
Star Wars x Nanzuka x adidas Superstar XLG
R2-D2 and C-3PO grace one of the latest collaborative adidas sneakers. Both droids are featured in a pop-art style across the upper of the Superstar XLG. C-3PO is featured on the lateral side, while R2 is placed on the medial side. Golden accents are on the tongue branding and the co-branded Star Wars and adidas insole.
Star Wars x Nanzuka x adidas NMD_R1
One of the most recognizable villains in history, Darth Vader, is honored on Nanzuka’s collaborative adidas NMD_R1. An all-black Primeknit upper features TPU overlays on the toe, creating the shape of Vader’s helmet. On the heel of the sole unit sits a quote from Vader, “Most impressive,” from his fight with Luke during The Empire Strikes Back.
Star Wars x Nanzuka x adidas Stan Smith
The iconic adidas Stan Smith pays homage to the foot soldiers of The Empire with a Stormtrooper theme applied to the model. A white and grey upper features a nod to the famously inaccurate soldiers through a caricature on the lateral heel and via the inside of the tongue, which states, “Blast them,” a line said by the Stormtroopers who run into Han and Luke when they are looking to free Leia from the Death Star in A New Hope.
Star Wars x adidas Crazy 1
Kobe Bryant’s signature sneaker with adidas, the adidas Crazy 1, is famous for its non-official Stormtrooper colorway. However, The Three Stripes took inspiration from Darth Vader for a collaborative colorway with Star Wars in 2019. The all-black synthetic upper has a glossy shine and a pattern overlaid atop the design. A symbol for The Empire is located atop the tongue, and we see red hues on the sockliner and foam midsole. Inside sits a co-branded Star Wars and adidas logo.
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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
