Has the viciously fast-paced, blink-or-you’ll-miss-it trend cycle claimed another victim? That could be true for Adidas Samba shoes, the German sportswear brand’s oldest and most developed shoe model. For over half a century, the Samba has dominated streetwear and sneaker culture, favoured by athletes, celebrities, and social media influencers. Even politicians are jumping onto the bandwagon, as UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently garnered criticism for sporting a pair, to which he issued a ‘fulsome apology’.
In the fashion industry’s grand scheme of things, examining the rise and fall of Adidas Samba is to question the trend cycle at large. There’s no denying that they’re comfortable, stylish, versatile, and one of the most durable sneakers out there. The sneaker is now considered a ‘basic’ style essential.
Here, we trace the origins of the iconic shoe model and its place in the fashion landscape today.
An early iteration of the Adidas Samba sneaker from the '50s (Photo: Adidas)
The idea for the Samba’s first model originated in 1950s Germany. Featuring an outsole with three cut-put suction cups, Sambas was thoughtfully designed for football teams to play on frozen and snowy fields. The early iterations already spotlighted Adidas’s recognisable three-stripe design, eventually becoming synonymous with the brand.
In the latter half of the 20th century, the shoe underwent a number of fundamental changes designed to improve comfort and performance while still maintaining its classic form. The 1970s witnessed the introduction of the Adidas Originals Samba, featuring a “3-zone profile” for a multidirectional grip and softer ankle and heel padding for enhanced performance on the field.
The 1982 Samba Spezial model introduced a shock-absorbing wedge and a multi-stud outsole for optimal outdoor play. It circled back to its earlier roots as an ideal shoe for slippery winter surfaces.
Though originally designed for sports, its popularity grew outside the athletic world thanks to its stylish form and sleek aesthetic. It has risen to the upper echelons of streetwear style, becoming a staple and fashionable footwear piece worn by celebrities and rockstars. It also made waves in the post-punk scene, seen on the likes of Noel and Liam Gallagher of the band Oasis and featured in the 1996 indie film Trainspotting.
Today, famous celebrities and internet personalities, from Kendall Jenner to Emily Ratajkowski, have been spotted wearing Sambas. It seems as if the internet has gotten rid of the chunky ‘dad-core’ sneakers that dominated late 2010s Instagram feeds (ahem, the Fila Disruptors). They have been replaced with slimmer, low-profile silhouettes seen not just on Sambas but other sneakers such as ones from Onitsuka Tiger and Converse.
See also: A History of Refinement: The Gucci Horsebit 1953 Loafer
Hailey Bieber sports a pair of Adidas Samba shoes (Photo: Getty Images)
Gigi Hadid wears a pair of Samba shoes in New York City (Photo: Getty Images)
As an ever-evolving and rapidly moving process, the fashion trend cycle continues to mirror shifts in culture and attitudes. In the digital age, the industry is dependent on influencers and social media to dictate what’s considered stylish or not.
Consumers constantly attempt to find ways to avoid the designation of ‘basic’. If a fashion expert or cultural figurehead deems a certain item ‘undesirable’, having reached its peak prestige, their fanbase will follow suit. The product becomes undesirable and oversaturated as tastes evolve, and the trend declines in popularity.
It is important to remember that a cycle is a cycle, and trends come back as soon as nostalgia for a certain product sets in. This is especially relevant for the Samba shoes, which have indeed gone through a revival in the past few years, having successfully returned to mainstream fashion.
With the Samba’s wealth of history and notable design, it’s more than possible for it to reach social relevancy once again. Due to its formidable status in the scope of fashion history, one could also proclaim it an icon, phenomenon, or longstanding fixture in the sartorial world. Only time will tell if the Samba graces the presence of the cultural landscape anew.
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