VHS, or Video Home System, is a standard for recording and playing moving images from magnetic tape cassettes. It was developed by JVC in the 1970s. VHS gave mainstream consumers control over how they watched movies. In the age of YouTube, Netflix, and the Internet as a whole, this might be hard to imagine.
But before VHS, you could only watch a movie by going to the theater or tuning in to TV at the right time.
With VHS, you could buy a movie—though they cost a fortune—rent one from a video rental store, or record one from TV. It was a revolution! VHS became the most successful global video format for over two decades.
At the end of the 1990s, a new format emerged: the DVD. The DVD gradually replaced the VHS format over the following years. The last Hollywood movie officially released on VHS was in 2006 (*A History of Violence* by David Cronenberg).
DESIGN
The simple black VHS cassette was the main inspiration for the design of the Saucony Shadow 5000 VHS.
The black upper is made of satin suede; the Saucony logo and heel tab are crafted from smooth leather; and the toe box and side panel are primarily mesh.
The perforated suede leather tongue features a label with the TGWO script logo, and the transparent eyelets represent tape spools. On the side of the heel, you’ll find a debossed TGWO box logo.
A TV test pattern color chart and a silver metallic VHSaucony logo adorn the top of the heel section. The mudguard on the right shoe features the classic control symbols found on every VCR: rewind, stop, pause, play, fast forward, and record, while the eject symbol fits perfectly on the insole.
Finally, the see-through outsole was inspired by the TV screen and displays a mix of white noise and the TGWO script logo.
SHADOW 5000
The Shadow 5000 was first released in 1989, at the height of VHS’s popularity. It was a workhorse running shoe that established Saucony’s reputation worldwide. Even today, the Shadow remains part of Saucony’s performance line as a technical shoe.
PACKAGING
The The Good Will Out x Saucony Shadow 5000 VHS comes in a VHS tape recorder box designed by Hollis Brown Thornton.
The inlay paper, also created by him, features stacks of illustrated VHS tapes. The first customers in-store will receive an original VHS tape containing a true cinematic gem from the ’80s.
The release of the Saucony x TGWO Shadow 5000 VHS is accompanied by a limited-edition T-shirt,
a baseball cap, and
a collection of pins.
GERMAN VERSION:
The Video Home System, or VHS for short, is a standard for recording and playing back moving images on magnetic tape cassettes. VHS allowed users to decide for themselves how they wanted to watch a movie.
In the age of YouTube, Netflix, and the internet, this may no longer be entirely easy to understand. But before VHS existed, the only way to watch a movie was to go to the movie theater or be in front of the TV at just the right moment.
Thanks to VHS, people could now buy movies—though they cost a fortune—rent them from a video store, or even record them from TV.
A revolution! For more than two decades, VHS was the most successful video format. Then, in the late 1990s, a new format hit the market—the DVD. Over the following years, the VHS format was gradually and completely replaced by the DVD.
In 2006, the last Hollywood movie was released in VHS format (David Cronenberg’s *A History of Violence*).
DESIGN
The simple black VHS cassette serves as the inspiration for the design of the Saucony Shadow 5000 VHS.
The upper is made of satin suede, with the Saucony logo stripe and heel tab crafted from smooth leather, while the toe box and side panels are primarily made of mesh.
The tongue is made of perforated suede with a TGWO cursive logo. Just like the spools on a videotape, the eyelets are made of transparent plastic. An embossed TGWO box logo is featured on the side of the heel.
The color palette, known as the TV test pattern, and a silver metallic VHSaucony logo are featured on the heel.
The mudguard on the right shoe displays the classic control symbols of a VCR: rewind, stop, pause, play, fast-forward, and record.
The eject button is featured on the insole. The transparent sole is meant to symbolize a TV screen and displays white noise as well as the TGWO cursive logo.
SHADOW 5000
The first Saucony Shadow 5000 was released in 1989 at the height of the VHS era. It is an icon among running shoes and has been particularly successful. To this day, it is considered a relatively technical shoe.
PACKAGING
The Good Will Out x Saucony Shadow 5000 VHS is sold in a VCR box designed by Hollis Brown Thornton.
The insert paper features illustrations of VHS tapes and was also designed by him.
The first in-store customers will receive a VHS cassette featuring a true cinematic gem from the ’80s.
The TGWO x Saucony Shadow 5000 VHS was released on August 5, 2017.
Product code: S70385-1
BLK/WHT, NOIR/BLANC
US 5–13
Unisex
Retail price: €150
