BSTN and adidas are back with the second instalment of their ‘O.G. with a Twist’ series – this time turning their attention to the Handball Spezial, with Alessandro Del Piero stepping in to front the campaign.
The Handball Spezial is a silhouette soaked in terrace heritage, reimagined here by the BSTN x adidas collaboration with a refined European sensibility and a nod to the cultures that shaped it. And who better to front the campaign than Alessandro Del Piero – the Italian icon who defined footballing elegance on the pitch and now brings that same calm confidence to sneaker culture.
The ‘O.G. with a Twist’ project is all about honouring sneaker staples while adding subtle, thoughtful updates – the kind that make a purist look twice. For the Handball Spezial, that means a soft, premium leather upper, bespoke curved overlays (a first for the silhouette), and a choice of two colourways: all-black or off-white. Minimalist in palette, maximalist in execution, both options keep things clean with the only pop of colour coming via refined blue detailing on the woven tongue label and the custom shoebox – a nod to the deep Mediterranean waters.
Shot at Turin’s Villa Sassi, the campaign leans into its Mediterranean heritage, with Del Piero front and centre. There’s a tongue-in-cheek short film to go with it – a spiritual sequel to the debut ‘O.G. with a Twist’ drop that paired David Alaba with an adidas Samba. Where Alaba brought Austrian flair, Del Piero brings that unmistakable Italian cool, bridging the worlds of football and basketball (his off-pitch passion) in one seamless narrative.
Dig deeper into the details and you’ll find the kind of design Easter eggs that make BSTN collabs worth collecting. There’s a comic-style insole graphic, created by BSTN’s long-time friend Theodoros Giannitsacis, showing a dapper gent spinning a basketball – a literal take on the series’ name. Gum sole? Check. Nubuck mudguard and T-toe overlays? Check. Embossed Trefoil on the heel tab and lateral golden foil BSTN branding? Double check. Each pair also comes with two sets of premium laces – branded tips and gold aglets for the off-white pair; black and off-white branded for the black edition.
The BSTN x adidas Handball Spezial ‘O.G. with a Twist’ doesn’t reinvent the wheel – it just gives it a smoother, sharper spin. And with Del Piero steering the campaign, it’s another W for a collaboration that’s quickly becoming essential viewing for sneakerheads and football romantics alike.
Shop the adidas x BSTN Handball Spezial only at BSTN.com
