Let’s face it, the Adidas Samba is the hottest shoe of the season. Whether your eerie feelings of youth indoor soccer are brought at bay or you were the first to hop on the trend there’s no arguing that the Samba has taken over as the top trending shoe for 2023. However there lies the question, why? Throughout this piece, we will delve into the three main reasons why the Samba has risen from the ashes.
Before we explore the trendiness of the shoe, let’s start from the beginning. The origin of the Adidas Samba dates back to the 1950s when it was originally designed for indoor soccer training. The shoe made its debut as the “samba” for the West German Football team for the upcoming World Cup. The popularity of football around the world gave the Samba the perfect platform to transition from sports to streetwear. The aesthetics of the shoe seamlessly gave rise to its popularity, gifting the shoe the title of “classic”. Over the years, the shoe has remained a classic due to the widespread popularity of the Adidas brand and the embedded roots the shoe has in sports and street style culture.
“Before setting trends across the globe, this classic silhouette made headlines in football. The press called it Samba, and we’ve danced with the name ever since. Once an original, always an original.” – Adidas Originals
The history of the Samba isn’t the only reason that this shoe has maintained its popularity throughout the years. The Samba has ranged from sixty to one hundred dollars since the 2000’s making it one of the most affordable tennis shoes on the market. This alone loans itself to popularity because consumers can easily participate in wider adoption trends. Sneakers can be one of the trendiest items in a closet, and being able to have a wide variety enables more market penetration for the Samba. However, this is combative to where the market stands today, the shoe errs on the side of exclusivity based on the demand and the high price points of resale markets. Creating an allure for the consumer mindset.
Finally, the brand cross-collaboration specifically with Wales Bonner has elevated the hunt for the Samba. The Adidas team nailed this collaboration, seamlessly blending the classic Samba with a contemporary twist to keep the shoe top of mind. The collaboration is not only elevated in style but also price, carefully designing even more desire around the shoe. With this collaboration, the consumers are curious to see what else is next for the Samba, how long will Adidas be able to stay on top or have they cemented themselves as a classic shoe one must have in their collection?
