Japan's mita sneakers know shoes and their work shows no single characteristic trait beyond being consistently interesting. If you mess with the NB MT580, you can thank mita for popularising that trail silhouette, but their work with
adidas Originals keeps it simple. Last year, their Campus 80s remixes were ultra simple (some might say they were unimaginative), with a familiar burgundy and white combo and a black and red variation, both with the dreaded pre-vintage treatment on the midsole. We're not fans of faux-aged footwear, but both Campus creations stuck to what works with that shoe. Nobody who messes with the Campus 80s wants any nonsense added to the upper - they want a suede and leather detailed combo that can be worn with anything. Tokyo appreciates the Campus and all the sub-cultural clout it carries, hence mita picked it. This trio is a lot better, singling out three crowdpleasers (bar the yellowy marks) and following the KISS principle.
A Campus 80s with silver stripes is an appealing prospect and a white-shelled Superstar 80s are no-brainers, but the shoe that seems to be attracting the most interest here is the mita x adidas Originals Tobacco — another shoe that Japanese adi fans have helped elevate - that sticks to the formula and doesn't mess with the fabrics or the colours of the mid 1970s (we think it dates back to 1973) low-profile leisure shoe favourite. French and Canadian editions of these go for £££ on eBay and we haven't had a pair in the shoe's most recognisable colours in the store before (those blues were cool, but brown is best). mita opt for a gum sole and brown suede on tobacco coloured suede rather than nubuck or leather branding and it just works. The model that was made for everyday wear, but with scope for a sport of training too, feels like a zone of zen-like calm in an industry besotted with 1990s tech and crazy concepts. The diamond pattern footbed links each pair of shoes here and the Tobacco gets a cork one. A decent case of a brand giving the people what they want rather than getting too fancy in the quest to make their mark.
All three mita x adidas Originals releases arrive in the Crooked Tongues store on Wednesday the 30th of January. The Campus 80s and Superstar 80s are priced at £90 and the Tobaccos will retail at a not-unreasonable £77.

Comments (2)
Have a word you negative bugger! Ha ha, though I don't get the yellowing soles either look a tad daft eh?
”unimaginative and looking as though someone's been stood in a public toilet wearing superstars
”