What to Make of Nike's "Samba" Sneakers?
Nike is very aware of the hype around adidas' Samba sneaker. Indeed, one of the Swoosh's undersung classic sneakers is suddenly going all Wales Bonner outta nowhere.
Now, Nike's Killshot sneaker is typically not a fashion shoe. Menswear staple, yes, trend-savvy sneaker... not so much.
But you wouldn't know it from looking at the Nike Killshot 2 Premium's newest makeover.
We've actually seen this shoe in this luxe monochrome leather colorway before, though not with its removable football sneaker-inspired tongue attached.
Once you see it all together, the Killshot 2's new tongue folded down, the Samba vibes become that much clearer.
Yes, Nike has long dabbled in terrace-adjacent footwear with fold-down tongues.
Several such classic styles, including the elegantly thick Gato and OG football boot Tiempo, have recently been translated into lifestyle silhouettes, almost assuredly to cash in on the recent terrace craze primarily sparked by Wales Bonner's adidas collaborations. Though the British designer presciently blessed the SL72
You could argue that Nike is merely digging into its own heritage, though. Maybe it's reissuing some football-leaning styles in line with the broader football fashion boom.
Sure. But, then again, explain the suspiciously conspicuous stitching on another recent Killshot sneaker, another Wales Bonnertastic cue curiously applied again to the Killshot, of all Nike sneakers.
It's funny, because adidas has been doing something similar on its own, applying oversized Samba-style tongues to its own terrace-leaning shoes in a bid to repeat that Wales Bonner magic.
But is it all in vain? According to recent trend data, the Samba may soon be on the way out.
Not too surprising — any shoe with the Samba's outsized presence would feel played out in due time. Not that it's not a great shoe, mind you, just that it's all just too much to be sustainable.
The Nike Killshot, as a result, feels a little dated even before it arrives. It looks great, sure, but staying power? Hard to say.
That's the sentiment I'm getting from a lot of these Samba-come-latelys. Right shoe, wrong time (likely due to the long lead times required for footwear manufacturing).
At least in the Killshot's case, the tongue is removable.
