THE ADIDAS DUBLIN: A CITY SERIES ICON

Within the world of terrace culture, adidas’ City Series is the stuff of legend. Throughout the past five decades, the line has been sat at the core of casual culture and the movements that stem from it, representing a collector’s status through its many trainers and their geographical homages. Within this collection of sneakers that spans Europe — and, indeed, the globe with things like the Island and North American series — there is a slew of releases that have been lauded after since their inception. Arguably few, if any, are as coveted as the Dublin: a trainer that has represented the holy grail within the sphere of diehard City Series fans.

The story of the adidas Dublin dates back to 1976 and the early advent of the much-loved European City Series, with the sneaker representing a love letter to its namesake city and its cultural significance. It was, as is typical of the City Series, an exercise in design refinement, sporting that classic, low-cut shape and details that are now synonymous with the line: T toebox, serrated three stripes, a gum rubber sole and gold foil lettering. The most distinctive element of the sneaker came down to its colourway, with a striking deep blue at its suede uppers and punchy red-orange accents at the tongue, three stripes and heel. Earlier models of the sneaker were also made in Europe as well, including West Germany, Yugoslavia and Romania.

The sneaker would, largely, remain unchanged throughout the years, save for select iterations featuring a dimpled tongue that mirrored other bespoke releases from the City Series. Now, the coveted sneaker is getting a re-release, bringing with it all of the OG charm that we know and love, ranging from its distinctive colourway right down to its terrace-focused details.