Flashforward 70 Years
The Adidas Samba is as Popular as Ever Before
by Marin Milken
Designed and released in the late 1940s, the Adidas Samba shoe recently made a significant comeback amongst various demographics thanks to its versatility, fashionable variations and comfortability. Most people today wear the shoe in everyday looks and it has since then been utilized for indoor soccer, a lifestyle shoe, cycling and even skating further emphasizing its versatility. It was designed by the brand’s namesake, Adi Dassler, who wanted to create a shoe that could have traction on icy grounds.
While the shoe has been around for over 70 years its popularity has seemed to increase over recent years. The comeback of the shoe can partially be attributed to an influencer’s Instagram posts. Anton Schiff, CEO of Agron, a licensee of Adidas, speaks on the matter. “The comeback that the Samba is experiencing in 2023 was both unplanned and unexpected and all as a result of an influencer's post on Instagram,” Schiff said. “This is very unusual for Adidas who will plan global marketing campaigns years in advance around iconic shoes such as Sambas, Superstars, Gazelles, and Stan Smiths.”
Like anything else, the shoe has endured a lot of changes to keep up with the needs and wants of the current generation. Yet, some aspects of the original design of the shoe have remained. “Adidas in general has two product platforms. One is the Originals platform which has the traditional Trefoil logo. This product and adaptations of this product is more lifestyle focused and is for the most part very similar to the shoes launched decades ago,” says Schiff. The different styles over the years have been made to satisfy the modern world, but its originality is still celebrated in the brand because the shoes are still being sold.
The shoe can be styled in any way one might desire. Skye Dunn, a junior at Crossroads said “They [Sambas] can pull an outfit together in a clean and classy way. My favorite way to style sambas is with blue jeans, a basic top, and a white pair of socks to go with the shoes.” Dunn touches on one of the many appeals the shoe has to offer, its versatility. “I was inspired to buy Sambas because you can style them with literally anything.”
The most popular Samba shoe seems to be the black-and-white option, which has seemingly taken Gen Z by storm. Like Dunn, Rebecca Nishizawa ‘25 owns the black-and-white Sambas because she was inspired by their popularity and comfort. “I partially wanted a new pair of shoes because I was sick of my old ones but I also wanted the Sambas because they were so popular and comfortable. I really like to wear them because they are the perfect shoe to pair with literally anything, like jeans, dresses, skirts, sweats etc. My favorite way to wear them is with baggy low-waisted jeans and a T-shirt or tank top.”
The recent spike in popularity has prompted the brand to continue designing new styles and colorways to satisfy its current customers. Alongside this evolution, the demand for new styles becomes even more apparent. Thus, “Collabs when done right can be very effective and no brand does this better and more effectively than Adidas. The goal of collabs in general is all about limited edition, hard-to-get products that create brand desire,” Schiff says. This results in prices reaching as high as $1000. For example, the menswear designer Grace Wales Bonner collaborated with Adidas to create a unique version of the shoe; a make of the classic Adidas Samba with raw stitching on the back, patterned laces, and the writing Wales Bonner above the traditional trefoil logo.
Similarly, Crossroads alumna Joanne Davenport’s ‘16, favorite way to style them is also with baggy jeans. “I saw so many girls styling them in cute ways during the summer when I was in London,” said Davenport. “I finally gave into the trend 6 months late and bought them.”
The target recipient of the shoe is not dedicated to one demographic only. Miriam Diskin, 42 years old, owns Adidas Sambas and incorporates them into her everyday looks. “I love my Adidas Sambas because I leave them by the front door and they are easy to throw on when I go to pick up my daughters from school. They go with anything and I feel like I am fitting into the younger generations when I wear them.”
Another admirable aspect of the Samba shoe is how it appeals to all genders, thus it is unisex. Henry Terlevich, a male freshman at the University of Pennsylvania, owns Sambas and appreciates how comfortable they are. “I love to style my Sambas with linen shorts and I feel like I can wear them to nicer events as well as casual. I have the black-and-white colorway which is my favorite because I can style them with a variety of different outfits. I was inspired to buy them when I saw a bunch of people wearing them just on the street.”