adidas Handball Spezial runners

Handball Spezial

In the late 1970s, German sportswear brand adidas reacted to the popularity of handball in their country by producing an indoor shoe that was perfect for the fast-paced sport. Known as the adidas Handball Spezial, it was built for agility and speed, with a grippy rubber cupsole, a sleek low-profile, a durable suede upper and minimal branding. 

This high-performance design saw the Handball Spezial become popular across Europe’s indoor courts after its 1979 release, but it soon found a place amongst the casual football fans of 1980’s United Kingdom, who brought it back from the continent after watching their teams play in Europe.

In time, these supporters popularised the Spezial in the United Kingdom, taking it into other subcultures such as breakdancing and underground music scenes. Although adidas moved on to other shoes, this allowed the Handball Spezial to maintain a presence in the wider culture so that, when it finally made a return, there were plenty who remembered it.

The Spezial name was first brought back to prominence by brand consultant Gary Aspden, who launched a sneaker-based project under the decades-old moniker in 2013. During its first exhibition, Aspden drew attention to classic adidas sneakers as he told a compelling story of the brand’s history. With unique colourways donated by celebrity sneaker fans, it reintroduced heritage silhouettes like the Handball Spezial to a new generation.

Aspden was given charge of a new project called adidas SPZL, and over the next few years, he went on a retrospective journey in which he introduced old models to a modern audience. With its name back in the mainstream, the Handball Spezial returned in 2018 as adidas made it a core part of the popular Originals line.

In the 2020s, adidas Originals were must-have sneakers, and by 2023, the Handball Spezial was showing up on the social media feeds of fashionable celebrities and influencers. Meanwhile, Aspden celebrated ten years of the SPZL project with a stunning exhibition that drew even more attention to the Spezial name. Before long, the silhouette was involved in stylish collaborations with high-end lifestyle brands including Sporty & Rich and Kith as it became a cultural phenomenon.

The adidas Handball Spezial began as a well-designed indoor sports shoe, but after more than 40 years, it is now considered a timeless lifestyle model and an icon of modern sneaker culture.