The New adidas Samba Doesn’t Look Like One
Another day, another Samba. Well, sorta.
adidas' Samba 62, while technically a Samba, looks more like the buzzy SL72, thanks to its thickened dual-toned outsole and narrow upper. Where a classic Samba would wear the adidas logo parallel to the Three Stripes, the Samba 62 boasts gold lettering near the heel. It also features an extended heel tab that’s not found on the tabless, standard Samba.
The "Core Black/Cloud White/Bluebird" Samba 62, available on January 23, is just one in a series of recent Samba-adjacent drops from the Three Stripes.
Last year, adidas reissued the SL72, a low-profile, slim sneaker that has received co-signs from Wales Bonner and thousands of TikTok users who appreciate the height it offers compared to the famously flat Samba.
The Country is another Samba-adjacent sneaker that adidas recently re-released. Last year, Song for the Mute dropped a ponyhair Country that scratches the same itch as Bonner’s in-demand ponyhair Samba — sans $2,000 price tag.
The Samba might be played out, but clearly, adidas isn’t quite ready to move on from the classic shoe.
