The Return of the German Army Trainer Is in Sight
The ongoing influence of the Samba points to the comeback of an adidas deep cut, driven by an understated collaboration from Hartcopy.
WRITER: Chris Danforth
In the grand realm of footwear, a handful of design archetypes are lodged in our collective memory. Think about a high-top basketball shape, a low-top tennis silhouette and a black and white canvas shoe. For many, these descriptions evoke the Air Jordan 1, adidas Stan Smith and Converse Chuck Taylor. When it comes to heritage and influence, the German Army Trainer, known as the “GAT” for short, holds its own among these classics.
A pair of vintage German Army Trainers. The design has remained largely unchanged since it debuted in the late 1970s as a training shoe for the West German Army.
Belgian designer Martin Margiela created the Replica as an homage to the iconic design. Today, the silhouette is considered a house signature.
Left: "This is the swatch book. It comprises every individual component of the shoe prior to production. The BW uses premium materials, which can be seen individually throughout this book." Right: "We were deciding between two shades for the outsole, but we eventually settled for a lighter look as seen here." (Both quotes from Tim Suen and Sam Le Roy of Hartcopy) Courtesy of Hartcopy
Hartcopy's minimal interpretation of the adidas BW Army Trainer. The platform's jagged red underline signifying a misspelled word is integrated into the restrained design.