The New adidas Models in Canada for 2026: Adistar Control 5, Japan, Spezial Loafer and Superstar II Ripple
Four adidas models landed at Gallery Streetwear in the last few weeks that are not the Samba: the Adistar Control 5, the Japan, the Handball Spezial Loafer and the Superstar II Ripple. Gallery Streetwear is an authorized Canadian adidas retailer in Kelowna, BC shipping Canada-wide.
We have written elsewhere about how the Samba, Spezial and Campus compare, and that piece still stands. This one is deliberately about everything else — because the Samba has been the answer to "which adidas" for three years, and the more interesting shoes on our wall right now are the ones nobody is asking about yet.
Adistar Control 5 — the one that will divide people
In: Men's Off White / Black / Light Grey and Women's Off White / Silver Metallic, five pairs each.
This is a revived 2000s running silhouette, and it looks like one — layered technical panelling, a chunky heel, and a colour blocking language that belongs to the era of running shoes that were engineered rather than styled. If your reference point for adidas is the flat leather terrace shoe, this is the opposite of that in every respect.
Who it suits: anyone who has been watching the Y2K running revival happen through New Balance and wants the adidas answer to it. Who it does not suit: anyone who wants a shoe that disappears under a trouser hem.
Japan — the quiet one, and the one we bought deepest
In: Women's Earth Strata / Orange Tint / Gold Metallic, Women's Off White / Dusky Bronze, Women's Black / White, and the Magic Beige / Ivory that has been on the wall a while. Twelve to fourteen pairs each — the deepest buy in this group by a distance.
The Japan is a low-profile leather trainer from adidas's 1960s track lineage. It is narrower and flatter than a Samba, with less bulk at the toe, and it sits closer to a Gazelle in proportion than to anything currently trending.
The reason we bought it deep: it is the shoe in this group that works with the widest range of trousers. A wide-leg jean swallows a chunky sneaker; the Japan keeps its shape underneath one. The Earth Strata colourway with the gold metallic detail is the one to look at if you want something that is not a neutral.
Handball Spezial Loafer — yes, a loafer
In: Women's Magic Beige, eight pairs.
adidas took the Handball Spezial and removed the laces. That sounds like a gimmick and it is not — the Spezial's upper was always clean enough to carry a slip-on, and taking the lacing out reveals how good the shape underneath actually is.
This is part of a broader shift: the sneaker-loafer is one of the few genuinely new footwear categories of the last couple of years, and New Balance's 1906L is the other shoe doing it well. If you want that comparison, we have written separately about the New Balance 1906L loafer.
Superstar II Ripple — the shell toe on a different sole
In: Black, ten pairs.
A Superstar upper on a ripple sole. The ripple adds visual weight at the bottom without adding height, which fixes the one real complaint about the Superstar — that it can look flat and dated next to a modern silhouette. Ten pairs makes it the second-deepest buy here.
Also on the wall, worth mentioning
Handball Spezial in White / Red / Gum — five pairs, the most classic colourway in the Spezial range. And the Adimule slides in Beige / Gum, which people search for more than you would expect and which we keep in stock for exactly that reason.
Sizing across these four
adidas publishes these models as true to size and we have no reason to contradict that. The one thing worth knowing: the Japan is a narrower last than the Samba or Spezial, so if you have a wide foot and the Samba is already snug, the Japan will be snugger. It is not a length issue, it is a width one, and it is not solved by sizing up.
We have a broader piece on what sneaker brands actually publish about sizing if you want the wider picture.
Buying adidas in Kelowna and across Canada
Gallery Streetwear is an authorized Canadian adidas retailer at 588 Bernard Avenue in downtown Kelowna, BC. All four models above are on the floor and on the website. Orders ship Canada-wide, free on Canadian orders over $150 CAD including sale and archive items. Authorized Canadian stock means no import duties and no brokerage fees on a Canadian order, and no question about where the pair came from.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I buy adidas in Kelowna?
Gallery Streetwear carries adidas Originals in Kelowna at 588 Bernard Avenue, Kelowna, BC V1Y 6P2, as an authorized Canadian retailer. The range includes the Adistar Control 5, Japan, Handball Spezial, Handball Spezial Loafer, Superstar II, Samba and Taekwondo Mei, in men's and women's sizing.
What is the adidas Adistar Control 5?
The Adistar Control 5 is a revived 2000s running silhouette, with layered technical panelling and a chunky heel rather than the flat leather profile of adidas terrace shoes. It is the adidas answer to the Y2K running revival, and it is stocked at Gallery Streetwear in men's Off White / Black / Light Grey and women's Off White / Silver Metallic.
How does the adidas Japan compare to the Samba?
The Japan is a lower-profile leather trainer with a narrower last and less bulk at the toe than the Samba, sitting closer to a Gazelle in proportion. Because it keeps its shape under a wide-leg trouser where a chunkier sneaker gets swallowed, it works with a wider range of trousers.
What is the adidas Handball Spezial Loafer?
It is the Handball Spezial with the lacing removed, making it a slip-on sneaker-loafer. Gallery Streetwear stocks it in women's Magic Beige. It sits in the same emerging sneaker-loafer category as the New Balance 1906L.