Stan Smith Said It's Amazing That His adidas Sneaker Became a Fashion Staple

The tennis legend talks about the legacy of his namesake sneaker.

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The phenomenon of performance sneakers turning into street style mainstays isn't a new one—look no further than the Air Jordan 1 or more recently, the adidas Ultra Boost—but there aren't many that have had the influence of the adidas Stan Smith. It's been worn on the runway by Céline designer Phoebe Philo, birthed countless overpriced imitations, and found its way into the closets of stylish guys and girls everywhere. 

Now, the tennis legend behind the eponymous​ sneaker is giving his thoughts on the shoe's embrace by the fashion set. "My shoe is really a performance shoe, the first leather tennis shoe ever made," Stan Smith said during an adidas event in Japan.

"You'll see sports figures, like [David] Beckham... and Pharrell Williams is now doing a collaboration. And Kanye West. It's amazing to see what's happening and my shoe becoming totally fashion-oriented and really not a performance shoe at all," Smith said.

Yup, the 69-year-old former world No. 1 player just name-dropped Pharrell and Kanye, proving that the name and face behind the eternally cool sneaker is pretty damn cool himself.