Nostalgia is that low-maintenance friend who you can drift apart from for years and reconnect with, picking up exactly where you left off. It’s that feeling after catching up over coffee, the caffeine coursing through your veins, the dopamine hit from reminiscing on tales from high school, laughing until there’s tears in your eyes. It makes you wonder why you don’t hit them up more often. Maybe the lapse in between makes the reunion all the more sweeter. 

That feeling of connection is what builds our identity. It’s why we like the movies we watch, the music we listen to, the clothes we wear. But nostalgia can also be a trap, making it seem like the past was better simply because it was the past. In unpredictable times, the past is a place of refuge, offering that feeling of comfort in the familiar. How can we honor the aesthetics of the simpler times that we yearn for without getting stuck?

In recent years we’ve seen brands such as adidas dip into their archives to remaster their greatest hits. The adidas Samba OG took the world by storm, reviving the aesthetics of 90’s and 2000’s soccer. This retro of a classic was so successful because it hit the sneaker market at a major turning point where consumers were ditching the bulky silhouettes of 2020 for a sleek, low profile replacement. Offered at an affordable price point compared to designer low profile sneakers and in an assortment of core colors, the Samba OG rose to triumph as the new staple white sneaker. But this was no one-hit-wonder for adidas. By continuing to retro classic and forgotten models, adidas has bridged the gap between past and present, granting fans of nostalgia the ability to wear a modern version of their favorite shoes from their childhood. Not only do the sneakers appeal to an audience who remembers and maybe even wore the shoes in their past, but they also have a magnetic pull on a new audience of a younger generation. Too young to know what life was like without cell phones, Gen Z yearns for a time that they were never able to experience. This renaissance of fashion inspired by decades past allows a younger audience to be a part of this aesthetic and mix it with their own, marrying the past with the present. 

Adding to their repertoire of archive footwear, adidas reintroduces the Tokyo, an iconic track and field sneaker from the 60’s. Made from soft, deconstructed leather with a smooth leather lining, they ride on an ultra-low-profile rubber sole with subtle texture and a stamped adidas Trefoil logo. In contrast to the Samba OG, the Tokyo Decon features a square toe, giving off a sporty silhouette similar to climbing shoes. Bold silver and pink metallics give the shoe a retro futuristic look, bringing a new energy to this classic. 

To position this vintage sneaker in a modern light while paying homage to its history, we styled the silver and metallic pink colorways with a mix of CNCPTS spring/summer 25 apparel and pieces from MOMNDAD Vintage. Juxtaposing the athletic silhouette with feminine pieces frames the shoe as a luxury, suggesting its likeness to a metallic heel. Whether you’re leaning into the retro aesthetic or pairing it with a modern look, the Tokyo Decon is a versatile sneaker for any wardrobe. 

The adidas Tokyo Decon is available now at CNCPTS stores and on cncpts.com. Subscribe to our mailing list for more updates on future adidas releases.