Adidas Samba’s: The ‘It-Girl’ Shoe

Unless you have been hiding under a rock, there is no escaping the GRIP that Adidas (and in particular – their iconic Sambas) currently has on the world. 

Mostly everyone and their mother (including former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who almost entirely gave everyone the ick when he was spotted in a pair) owns the iconic, affordable trainers and as the brand continues to evolve and produce fabulous colour-ways in their Sambas, Spezial’s, Gazelles and SL72’s along with their cool clothing collabs, there is nothing stopping them and their dominance in the fashion sphere.

Few shoes have stood the test of time quite like the Adidas Sambas though. What makes Sambas so interesting and literally THE ‘It’ shoe of the decade is their ability to appeal to a wide variety of consumers.  They have found themselves on the feet of cool girls on the streets of New York, London and Copenhagen to name but a few as well as staunch football fans alike. 

Designed by Adidas founder Adi Dassler in 1949, the original Samba shoe (which was all black with the brands classic three stripes in white) was the brands first football cleat, specifically created for frozen pitches.  Despite being invented to withstand harsh winter conditions in Europe, the shoe then debuted at the 1950 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.  In honour of the tournament and the football-crazed host nation, Adidas named the shoe…Samba, after the traditional Brazilian dance and music genre.  As football grew in popularity spreading across the globe, so did the Sambas.  With each decade, the classic shoe was remixed and reimagined, to where it is today and the shoe we now know and love.

After it seemed to go through an awkward, nerdy, uncool stage (although some may argue they were always cool!) where it became a go-to for Dads - Gen Z, the TikTok generation and the style influence of Bella Hadid took over and suddenly Sambas were back in fashion and THE shoe to be seen in.  It became a street style essential amongst models like Kaia Gerber, Hayley Bieber, Kendall Jenner, the Hadid sisters and mega-influencers like Emma Chamberlain.  In all instances, the ‘old-skool’, unisex shoe brought a sense of nostalgia and the idea of a gorgeous girl ironically wearing a nerdy dad shoe became the ultimate ‘It-Girl’ move.

Internet searches for the humble Adidas Samba have more than doubled in recent years with the elegant slim shoe selling out the minute a new colour-way or print is introduced.  What I find particularly amazing about the explosion of the Samba in recent years is the fact that the shoe does not discriminate. You are just as likely to see a 45-year-old Dad who dresses like Liam Gallagher in Sambas as you are a 21-year-old Gen Z fashion influencer on TikTok.

As a loyal fan of the brand, and particularly the Samba, it goes without saying that they are a timeless classic.  They have been around for seven decades and it’s safe to say, they’ll be around for seven more.

// Irene Feeney Steele