Ever since New Balance’s 1906L sneaker-loafer hybrid went absurdly viral in 2024, just about every sneaker brand on the planet has had a go at making their own—from Nike’s Air Max Phenomena to Hoka’s Speed Loafer—with varying degrees of success. But the Adidas Handball Spezial Loafer hits a little different. Because unlike a lot of the snoafers we’ve seen over the past two years, it drops the “sn” and goes straight-up loafer instead.
The usual suede you’d find on a “regular” pair of Spezials has now been swapped for smooth black leather, complete with piping around the toe and a thick leather strap across the vamp. There’s a tiny metal Trefoil pin sitting around the penny slot, and the Three Stripes are decked out in clean white. Down south, you get the same low gum sole that’s been attached to the silhouette since the ’70s.
And the German sportswear giant couldn’t have picked a better sneaker to mess around with. The Handball Spezial has become a proper fashion boy fave over the past few years. Andrew Garfield, Paul Mescal, and Harris Dickinson have all been spotted in pairs, while collabs with Sporty & Rich and Taiwan’s Invincible have only added to the hype. Even Lionel Messi recently got his own stealthy black pair.
So, are sportswear brands about to stop making snoafers and start making actual loafers? Well, it’s already happening. Vans now has an entire loafer section, including leather Skate Loafers with horsebit detailing, while Converse has turned both the Chuck Taylor and One Star into full-on loafers. Maybe that’s where all of this was heading. After two years of trying to make sneakers look more like loafers, brands are realizing they can just make loafers instead.
And if they all look as good as this, that’s probably fine. The Adidas Handball Spezial Loafer ‘Core Black’ is available right now at Adidas and select stockists for $130. (Important note: the colorway we’ve been discussing here is currently only available in women’s sizing—another W for the small-footed folks among us—but there’s also a more understated men’s version available for $120.) And considering the regular Spezial already has a permanent home on your FYP, expect to see this one there a lot too.
This story originally appeared on British GQ.
Source: www.gq.com
