Or the barefoot version of Stan Smith. I used to love adidas Stan Smith sneakers and I used to own quite a few pairs (white, off-white, mint, colourful etc.). I work in a creative industry and wearing sneakers with smarter tops/ jackets/ trousers qualifies as office attire, so I used to have lots of conventional sneakers to rotate. Imagine my enthusiasm when Groundies launched Universe! I ordered them, my husband saw them and even if he hadn’t own any Stan Smiths before, he instantly loved Groundies Universe and ordered a pair for himself too. He wears a suit almost everyday and these sneakers work great for that too.
They are flexible, zero drop and comfortable. They have a wide toe-box and don’t squish my toes at all and their design accommodate best my Mountain shaped feet (second toe longest). The ‘walls’ of the sole don’t bother me at all as my feet are on the narrow side (9.7cm in the evening, after a day - I measured it like that as I want my shoes to feel comfortable all day long), but take that into account if your feet are wider. I have plenty of room over my toes (I have low volume feet, I could use a pad but the natural crease that forms when I walk isn’t uncomfortable at all) and I believe almost 1cm in front of my longest toe on my left foot. I have asymmetrical feet, which means almost 1.5cm in front of my longest toe of the right foot.
In the middle, you can see Universe next to adidas Stan Smith sneakers.
BUT Universe models run bigger, size 39 (which I own) is a few mm longer than 25.5cm, which is Groundies standard length for 39. I’d say they measure around 25.8-25.9cm. This length is good for me. I’ve been wearing them with and without socks.
They have TrueSense® GS1 sole with 3 mm base and 3.9 mm tread, an 100% microfibre lining and cowhide upper. They are made in EU and come with a 3 years warranty against wearing through of sole.
I hope they will release new colours soon <3