The origins of the Vintage Adidas Superstar date back to the 1950’s, with the release of the Adidas Superstar Pro Model. This shoe, which emphasized ankle support, was quickly adopted by basketball players. Roughly thirteen years later in 1969, the next model of the Adidas was released—the Adidas Superstar I, or Vintage version. This version took into account the popularity of the brand with basketball players and was designed specifically for the game, with fantastic results. In the early 1970’s, roughly 75% of all NBA players were wearing the Adidas Superstar I.

During the early 1990’s, the Vintage Superstars were reissued as the Adidas Superstar II, and as such boast as much period accurate detail as possible. The success of this re-release prompted a series of reissues under the “Adidas 35th Anniversary” banner, which included 35 different styles and colours, including the Music Series, which was designed with help from such notable musicians as Run D.M.C. and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Also released as part of the 35th anniversary was the Consortium Series, which was designed to match the original Superstar I. The authenticity of this reproduction made it a hot item on its release, and it sold out almost immediately.

On occasion, Adidas will release a special edition Superstar shoe to mark a particularly memorable occasion or individual. These limited edition sets of shoes, known as the “Superstar Special Edition,” include the Darth Vader Superstar and the Halloween Superstar.

Other specialized brands include the Superstar Skate, which looks like the original Superstar but has a wider base for skating.

The Superstar Adicolor is perhaps the most purposefully customizable of all the Adidas line, and also the most difficult to find. Originally issued in 1983, the Adicolor is built to encourage the wearer to colour in designs or other graphics directly onto the shoe with the set of different coloured pens and laces that was included with each set of shoes. These were reissued in 2006 with even more features, including interchangeable laces and spray paint. A total of 14 pairs, broken down by colour – red, blue, green, black, yellow, and pink were released.