Adidas Yung-1

Since the beginning of time, running, as we bipedal beings decide to call that strenuous activity, had been infused in our blood and loins. A particular boy in Herzogenaurach, along with his family, capitalized on this attribute and began producing apparel dressing the early runners of our kind. His name was Adolf Dassler, and he started manufacturing shoes in their laundry room after the First World War.

Dassler’s first baby steps into running were with the invention of the spiked shoes. The revolutionary design was given more limelight when it was used by Jesse Owens in the 1936 Summer Olympics. Owens was not the only one winning medals at that event but also the Dassler’s spiked runners. It was a significant hit that catapulted production to 200,000 shoes every year before the Second World War.

Several years after the two Dassler brothers’ relationship became sour, Adi set up his own factory in 1949 establishing the name Adi Dassler Adidas Sportschuhfabrik. It was the same year when Adi registered the unmistakably eye-catching Three Stripe mark. And yes, the shoe which emblazoned the Three Stripe was a running shoe.

  Digging deeper in running

In the succeeding decades, Adidas shifted to the whims of society giving every athletic enterprise a chance to grab a piece of their majestic legacy. From soccer, handball, basketball, and many more sports, the German brand continues to reward those who patronize the Three-Striped silhouette. But as the growing pandemonium for physical fitness swelled throughout the years, the justification for bringing multiple trainers to the gym deemed unnecessary.

Then came the Adidas EQT series.

“Everything that is essential, nothing that is not” became Adidas’ mantra in the dawn of the 90s when they decided to reset their goals and revert from releasing models in copious amounts.

The EQT line, or Equipment for those looking for a more technical term, was designed to cater to the necessities of athletes rather than focusing on fashion. It deviated from the whole sneaker marketing trend by a heap-load which, to the brand’s delight paid big time thanks to its cult following.

A feature that made the Adidas EQT series special was the introduction of the Torsion System which helps people stabilize during their unaccountable feats of exercise and whatnot. Though this system was duly introduced in 1988, its fame was acknowledged by EQT’s religious use in almost every iteration. EQT then became the centerfold for subsequent iterations that Adidas made in the 90s.

Continuing to punch it in the running scene in the remaining years of the 90s after their massive EQT hit. As usual, the Torsion System remained a staple among new releases and design concepts. In 1997, the brand introduced a shoe called the Falcon Dorf which, from its name, hails from the small town near the Adidas Headquarters in Herzogenaurach.

The Falcon Dorf’s name was a bit serendipitous in its incarnation because, during the time of its cooking, the Adidas Running team is struggling to find the rightful name to bestow upon thee. Realizing that their daily routine includes a run to Franconian villages while also passing through the German forest, the team remembered a small village called Falkendorf along the way. After specific tweaks, the Falkendorf was internationalized into the Falcon Dorf. Way to go, Adidas.

  Rebirth of the Falcon Dorf

After decades of staying still in the Adidas footwear archives, the Falcon Dorf rose again to overwhelming heights. Its revival though is not in full retro because Adidas Originals only utilized it as a design concept for another shoe which bears the monicker Yung-1. Pretty sure there is a trifling amount of people who know the burgeoning sneaker’s transition from Falcon Dorf to Yung-1.

The Yung-1 takes its course in an era of the so-called “dad sneakers” which is dominated by iterations like the Yeezy’s and Raf Simons’ Ozweegos. Kanye’s Adidas Yeezy Boost 700, or more popularly known as the Wave Runner, had ingeniously set the mood for chunky silhouettes to surface the on-going fashion and sneakerhead zeitgeist in 2017. Adidas took it from there and generated a plan to bring back ugly vintage sneakers with the Falcon Dorf superseding the lineup.

The Adidas Yung-1 was teased in the latter part of 2017 but was formally introduced in February 2018 courtesy of Till Jagla, the Senior Director of Concept at Adidas Originals. The Yung-1 was not the only sneaker to embody the ole-Falcon Dorf image but also the Adidas Falcon which was exclusively created for women. Kylie Jenner was one of the prolific promoters of the shoe who mentioned that she has always loved Adidas.

Dressed in a full-Falcon Dorf upper, the sneaker fuses contemporary details into its thick dad-shoe facade like the chunkier tooling which, by the way, is composed of a soft EVA material. Upon its initial release on June 21, 2018, the sneaker utilized a conducive mix of suede and textile for its uppers in a red/navy/white tint.

One of the most talked-about versions of the Yung-1 was the “Frieza” colorway which is part of the coveted Adidas Dragon Ball Z collection released on the 29th of September 2018. The Adidas Yung-1 Frieza pulls out cues from the DBZ antagonists’ first and final forms which shine in a light and dark purple with a white base completed by a teeny pink overlay. The Three Stripes branding is subtly outlined in purple projecting an animated look.

Of course, an anti-hero like Frieza would undoubtedly have a matching protagonist to balance out the scale. It was rumored that the hi-res orange edition of the Yung-1 franchise was the Goku colorway which showcases its almost tonal orange pigment with a hint of blue and yellow resembling Goku’s outfit. The sneaker debuted alongside the chalk white/core black/collegiate navy version.