As is their wont, the tasteful design savants at Montreal’s JJJJound approached their Adidas collab with the express purpose of taking an icon like the Samba and making the purest, most perfect version ever. They did so by handcrafting the shoe entirely in Adidas’s famed Scheinfeld factory in Germany from premium leathers, with authentic vintage-inspired details added throughout. The changes are subtle but palpable to the untrained eye, which is just how JJJJound likes it.
4. Ajax FC x Bob Marley x Adidas Samba OG ‘3 Little Birds’
Back in 2021, the Dutch soccer team AFC Ajax released a Bob Marley-inspired third kit—with Rastafarian green, yellow, and red striping down the shoulders—as a nod to their fans’ tradition of singing the reggae legend’s “Three Little Birds” in the stands. (Marley himself was also a dedicated Three Stripes wearer.) Naturally, Ajax, Adidas, and Marley’s estate also came together to collaborate on a matching pair of Sambas, which remains one of the most singular and desirable pairs on the market.
3. Wales Bonner x Adidas Samba OG ‘Navy Croc’
For fall 2024, Grace Wales Bonner set a new high bar for her Adidas collaborations with this swanky, showstopping Samba in rich navy croc-effect leather. It served as hard proof that, even several seasons in, the British designer and German sportswear giant still had plenty of moves left to surprise and delight sneakerheads. (Including, for instance, the launch of Wales Bonner’s first original Adidas silhouette earlier this year.)
2. Adidas Samba OG ‘Classic White’
1. Adidas Samba OG ‘Classic Black’
The ones that started it all. The original Sambas have been discoursed to death to the point that a lot of style-inclined folks are sick of talking about them. Ultimately, what’s there to talk about? These are two of the most accessible, wearable, and popular sneakers of the last several decades. They go with everything, replacement pairs are available whenever you need ’em, and they’ve never, ever gone out of style—even when it seems like everyone and their mother has a pair. These aren’t just the two best Samba colorways of all time—they’re two of the greatest sneakers of all time, period.
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