Long Live Startas
As a teenager I had a pair of these and was very proud to wear them back in Berlin after my summer holidays in Split, Croatia. It was more then just a souvenir from a holiday… I loved my sun kissed tan and my Startas.. no one else had a pair and it felt very special!
The story behind this iconic brand: The first Startas, a canvas lace-up sport shoe with rubber sole, was originally designed for table-tennis players in 1976, and soon became an iconic object of desire in the communist Yugoslavia. Light, functional and more than affordable Startas was an ideal socialist piece of footwear for the masses produced at the Borovo factory based in the town of Vukovar (Croatia). The original Startas sneakers were made in only 3 colors (white, navy and black) and became an instant hit, selling more than 5 million pairs annually. Startas grew to be the biggest sports brand in the former federation, so big that it was one of the major sponsors of the 1987 Univerzijada, the international student games, a major sporting event that hosted more than 3900 athletes from 122 countries all of whom were equipped with Startas sportswear.
Today, after 17 years of free-falling into oblivion, Startas sneakers have been revived, revamped and redesigned by creative tour-de-force Mauro Massarotto, head of Croatian studio Sheriff & Cherry. Bold geometric prints and strong color combinations create a brand new, heritage-inspired aesthetics – Startas sneakers are still completely handmade by workers at the Borovo factory, using original 70’s techniques and machinery, whose production has never been interrupted not even by devastating Balkan war in the early 90’s. Startas sneakers were once and are now again a sports and style icon!
For more information click on LONG LIVE STARTAS!