wardrobe memo: adidas samba
the charm of an adidas samba.
Scroll your feed for a few minutes, and you will see celebrities and personalities with the same sneakers on their feet: the Adidas Samba. Although many expected its charm to fade, the shoe remains on the scene. Just like a basic T-shirt, the shoe has become a wardrobe classic.
Although the Adidas Samba peaked in popularity in the past years, its history started in 1950. The shoe was originally designed by Adi Dassler for football soccer fields and was launched right before the World Cup in Brazil. At the time, it was characterized by a chunky silhouette and was constructed of kangaroo leather along with a gum outsole for better grip during the cold months. It would soon transcend its soccer roots and be worn on and off the pitch. In the 1960s, the silhouette was sleekened to a gum-soled soccer sneaker. By the 1990s, the shoe was worn by various groups. A decade later, in the early 2000s, the Samba began its first nostalgia cycle, becoming the “it” shoe of stylists. Now, thanks to its prominence on social media, the Samba is buried under layers of other associations.
Its design has come a long way. It is now characterized by a slim, simple silhouette and is constructed of a mix of leather and suede. Each season, the classic Samba is released in multiple colors for both men and women. Nonetheless, collaborations are the ones that make the most impact. The shoe has become a blank canvas for designers who use the silhouette as a basis for their own designs for the three-stripes brand. But what is it about the Samba that makes it so charming?
Part of its charm lies in its simplicity and part in its versatility. Its silhouette makes it easy to combine the shoe with anything and everything. The sneaker also has the perfect balance between contemporary and retro elements, appealing to different generations of wearers.
Whether it is a trend or not, the Adidas Samba remains one of the label’s best-sellers. The fact that so many people keep wearing certain pieces is that they remain classic, and adidas Sambas are as classic as a shoe can get.
Adidas Samba Memo
• The original Samba influencer: Kate Moss. The supermodel has been wearing the black leather Sambas since 1993.
• Until 2011, Adidas didn’t offer the shoe in any other colors. Before that, the sneaker had undergone only relatively minor design changes over the past sixty years.
• British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak apologized after wearing the white Samba shoes with a suit during an interview in Downing Street. After the occasion, some declared the death knell of the Samba, while others defended it.