The Resurgence of Adidas Samba

 There are many trends that have resurfaced when it comes to shoes, but one that stands out to me in particular is Sambas. Sambas are one of Adidas’ highest selling shoes of all time closely following Stan Smiths and have been around for decades. The first concept for Sambas was a new football boot that prevents slipping while playing back in the 1940’s. They then made their debut in the 1950 Brazil world cup and were named Samba after the Latin dance style to appeal to the South American audience. They were originally a very different looking shoe compared to the Samba we would recognise today as they looked more like a boot with a solid toe and arched sole. The shoe then developed into different forms over time, each time more like the shoe we know and love, and then finally it became the flat, thin sole and low ankle shape we all own in 2024.

The popularity of the Samba was high all throughout the 70s and 80s with the football fans finding inspiration from the players they watched on the field. Even famous musician Bob Marely was often spotted wearing them, proving how popular they were. In the 90’s skateboarding culture was all the rage, particularly in the United States, so when the skateboarders began wearing Sambas, Adidas grew a larger market due to the huge size of the market in the USA. The hype continued all the way into the early 00’s as Samba’s were now a household item, everyone owned a pair of these staple shoes. However, the fall of the Samba came in the 2010’s when the high-top trainer made a comeback. Everyone took their Jordan’s or Converse out the cupboard and got rid of their classic Samba’s.

The fall of Samba’s didn’t last very long as during the pandemic in 2020 many celebrities were spotted wearing these vintage trainers, but in a new form. This is when the Samba OGs caught the eye of the younger generation which gave a new life to this out of action shoe.  Now everyone owns Sambas, Gen z, Millennial, Gen x, females, males it is a shoe for everyone. Due to its vast, colour range there is a Samba for everyone making it Adidas’ second-best selling shoe of all time.