Adidas creator Adi Dassler created the sneaker as a men’s shoe in 1949. At the time, it was all black, with white three stripes and a gumsole meant to allow soccer players to play on hard and ice surfaces. John Andrade, former professional soccer player in Ecuador during the 1980’s said “ I always wore adidas samba to play indoors; it is the most iconic soccer silhouette in the history of soccer”.
The FIFA World Cup was held in Brazil in 1950, and Adidas called the shoe the Samba, after a traditional Brazilian dance and music genre, as a marketing technique to entice soccer players and fans to buy it.
Diego Setton Brazilian student at morningside said “the world cup being held in Brazil during the 1950’s was special for the country, thus Adidas used this event to promote their new shoe whom with years passing people our age would wear”
The strategy worked, and the design evolved over time, eventually yielding the leaner profile we see today. It also made its way into the women’s market, and new colors became available.
However, after a few years, the shoe’s great popularity backfired. It quickly became a go-to for dads and men with 9-to-5 professions who weren’t recognized for having sought-after style. That was enough to make the sneaker uncool for girls and males going through adolescence and not cool.
When Grace Wales Bonner unveiled its fourth collection with Adidas in June, which includes a pair of retro-inspired Sambas. Since 2020, Bonner has been redesigning the sneaker with Adidas, and each Graces Wales Bonner x Adidas Samba has sold out instantaneously.
Enzo Taggaliati fashion enthusiast said “ This particular collaboration made the Samba’s become a fashion item more than a sports shoe and it became fashionable to wear”
When the shoe was released, Gen Z flocked to it, thanks in part to Gigi Hadid’s trendsetting powers, but also because it became the surprise sneaker that could lend the required fashion style to every trending TikTok style. They also cost less than $200, which is hundreds, if not thousands, less than the normal price for a supermodel-endorsed It shoe.
