Welcome to Glasgow. Where the Barras hum with chatter, Glasgow Green’s lawns open wide, and skaters rattle past murals alive with colour. Electric chaos and guitars crash at King Tut’s, a space stitched into music history. Youth in motion, Glasgow is raw, restless, and unafraid to make its own noise.
In 2010, our city-spanning collaboration with adidas Originals welcomed three new cities to the ‘City Series’: Birmingham, Cardiff, and Glasgow. For us, Glasgow was more than just a city to spotlight. With a thriving DIY culture, ranging from bands to collectives to artists who carve out their own spaces, it was only right that size? Glasgow was at the helm to dream up three concepts that paid homage to the Scottish city.
Three narratives were explored: the city’s bridges, the optimism of the ‘80s ‘Miles Better’ campaign, and, finally, the rich colours of Glasgow tartan seen on various garments throughout the region. Limited to just 500 pairs, the Handball Spezial Glasgow carries the city’s tartan on its surface, coated in navy suede with pink and green leather overlays. Gold cursive script lettering punctuates the sidewalls, a detail shared across all three new cities back then. Beneath it all sits crisp white tooling, a feature that split opinion at launch and still sparks conversation today
From the raw energy of King Tut’s to underground clubs and gallery spaces, Glasgow’s pulse has always been unshakable. Music, art, and attitude clash and fuse here, forging a city that’s brimming with individuality and refuses to be anything but itself. Since the ‘93 McGee moment that shifted the course of history, its spirit has been echoed in guitars and spoken through sharp wit. Glasgow stands as a city wired with character, charged with grit and alive with unfiltered pride.
For the second time, we return to rework the adored Glasgow. Uppers are soaked in a ‘Maroon’ suede interrupted by ‘Off White’ 3-Stripes and heel tabs – a colour combination that lifts its hues from King Tut’s sign. Sidewall script branding remains true to 2010’s Glasgow, while anniversary footbeds and gum soles underpin all of the above. ‘1/2025’ crests the heels, marking this rare release.
