The Adidas Samba: A Journey from Football to Fashion
Courtesy of Grazia
Written By: Olivia Belasco
It is no secret that “sneaker culture” has overwhelmed the footwear industry in the last 2 decades blurring the lines of strict functionality and fashion. With the insurge of streetwear, music culture, and high fashion into the mainstream, an ugly dad sneaker can be seen on the hottest supermodels of the moment. One of the most notable “it” shoes in the spotlight has been the Adidas samba. This flat soled 3 striped shoe had never been the pinnacle of fashion but has seemed to grab the attention of every influencer and fashion frontrunner in recent years. To truly understand the mundane nature of these shoes let’s take a look back at the samba’s history in the Adidas brand.
The Adidas Samba in its first form was introduced in 1949 as a mid-top shoe with a hard leather upper and a stiff rubber sole. The shoe was frankly very ugly and looked uncomfortable for any physical activity, resembling a clog like shape. Nonetheless it did serve a purpose: athletics on icy ground. The practical shoe really took the world spotlight in 1950 at the FIFA world cup in Brazil, as Adidas hoped to push the shoe into the South American market. Hence the name the “samba” was born from the Latin American dance. Over many years of redesigns and modifications, the shoe grew into what it is known to be today. A much flatter modern version of the shoe caught the attention of indoor soccer players and even the skateboard community in the 90’s. With a history deeply rooted in sports culture it is hard to see how the shoe would become a favorite of celebrities on their way to grab a morning matcha.
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One may ask themself: How does a shoe like the Adidas Samba land on the feet of our generation? The short answer is celebrity influence. Though these shoes have trended many times in the past this most recent surge has been thanks to influential fame. Bella Hadid is most notably the leader of this throwback trend. In her street style, Bella has paired the shoes countless ways with everything from low rise jeans to flowing maxi skirts. The shoes have become a staple in her effortless “model off duty” style. But she has not carried this trend single handedly. sambas have adorned the feet of Kendall Jenner, Frank Ocean, Zoe Kravitz, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert Pattinson, and countless others. Trickling down to the influencer class of the fashion industry these shoes have also become favorites of everyone from Matilda Djerf to Acquired Style.
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Though celebrities and influencers are unequivocally a force within this trend, the samba’s mainstream attention cannot truly be discussed without the mention of designer collaboration. Designer branding can take a boring shoe like the Adidas Samba from unknown to overhyped in a matter of weeks. The collaborations brought upon the Samba have been countless. The samba has been branded with the Gucci logo and a signature pink suede material. It has been decorated in pearls and a navy stripe by Sporty & Rich. It has even been transformed into a metallic silver material with threaded stripes by Wales Bonner. With each iteration the samba gets more and more fashion forward and desired.
Courtesy of Adidas
Walk down the streets of New York City’s stylish West Village and the Adidas Samba can be seen at almost every street corner. This “it” shoe is truly a depiction of the power trend has on even the drabbest utilitarian shoes. From the FIFA World Cup of 1950 to the feet of supermodel Bella Hadid, the Adidas Samba is the shoe to keep an eye on for all upcoming seasons of fashion.