adidas "90s City Series" Pack Releases Exclusively at size?
size? and adidas are channeling the cultural moment of 1990 British football—when England, Scotland, and Ireland all converged on the World Cup stage—through an exclusive three-shoe pack rooted in period kit design. The collection translates three nations' iconic home jerseys into contemporary silhouettes with period-accurate colorways and materials.
By Ava Rodriguez
The year 1990 sits heavy in British Isles sports mythology. England reached the World Cup semi-finals for the first time in two decades. Scotland notched its fifth consecutive qualification. The Republic of Ireland, now nearly 70 years sovereign, made its maiden World Cup appearance—a watershed moment for a nation still in the process of cultural assertion. Four decades later, size? and adidas have recognized that moment as a design reference point, threading kit nostalgia into three distinct models under the banner of their "90s City Series."
The adidas London draws directly from England's 1990 home strip, rendered in a clean white leather upper with navy three-stripe detailing and a gum rubber sole—a palette that reads both archival and contemporary. The adidas Dublin channels the Republic's identity through a forest green upper paired with burnt orange striping, a color combination that carries genuine historical weight within Irish football aesthetics. The adidas Glasgow, built on the Handball Spezial foundation, translates Scotland's polo-collared home jersey into black leather with navy striping, maintaining the silhouette's minimalist lineage while anchoring it to that specific moment in time.
Each shoe functions as a cultural artifact rather than a mere nostalgic exercise. The Handball Spezial model—itself a 1980s design that has experienced genuine renaissance through contemporary interest in pre-1990s adidas silhouettes—becomes the vehicle for Scotland's narrative. The London and Dublin models operate within adidas's core City Series architecture, proven frameworks that allow the heritage details to carry the story without demanding structural innovation.
Release Details
The pack deploys through size?'s draw system, opening May 16 and closing May 21. Retail sits at £100 per pair, translating to approximately $135 USD before shipping costs. Given the exclusive distribution model and limited draw mechanics, allocation will be constrained. This sits meaningfully higher than current market conditions—adidas is currently running 81 tracked deals averaging 39% off across retail partners—but the exclusivity positioning and cultural specificity justify the positioning for collectors aligned with this particular heritage narrative.
adidas under retail
Browse adidas items priced below retail on StockX
Release Info
Availability: Draw-only via size?
Release Window: May 16–21, 2024
Retail Price: £100 (approximately $135 USD)
Retailers: size? (exclusive)
