crooked tongues magazine News Features

The Forum Mid Lite is a basketball favourite put on a crash diet. It only took a couple of rival brands stripping down some classics at trend level (think Maxim 1 and sonic welded 574s) for adidas Originals to have a go too. First we got some Superstars and now we get a Forum taken down to some bare basics. The Forum has never been a lightweight shoe — it's a premium affair and that strap, heel counter and leather upper might have been directed at the court, but that reassuringly expensive $100+ pricetag earmarked it as a hustler's shoe rather than a performance piece. We know they were big in Boston if you had the budget back in the day. Would those local characters sport this Lite variation? Probably not. But they're alright regardless — and that's coming from somebody who was hesitant about applying a single tonal pop fastening onto the strap a couple of years ago.

Sometimes you don't want the "golf club effect" wherein big sneakers and shorts create a strange appearance for your legs when the sun's out, but you might want the essence of the OG shape rather than some slimline nonsense — we want stealth over smedium. These fit that bill, with the modified outsole and translucent application, the detailing, including that 'X' panel applied inside the mesh on the upper and a minimum of sewn seams too. Even some heel branding's been axed too and the byproduct is a version of the original that feels borderline featherweight. In an odd way, the translucency gives a new perspective on a model we're all too familiar with, but it'll still be a while before we purists can truly embrace a makeover this dramatic.

Naturally it can't compare with the balance of leather and nylon mesh that the Harputs edition applied as an Americana homage for classic status and a sense of lightness without a single compromise, but they're an interesting project nonetheless. These drop next month and they're available to pre-order now.