Last summer, the Adidas Sambas craze was at a fever pitch. The style is the brand’s longest-running shoe and its second bestselling sneaker, ever, behind the Stan Smith. With 35 million pairs sold worldwide and a 50% boost for the brand’s resale sales, the style is finally on the downslide. According to youth trends expert Casey Lewis, Google Trends data shows interest in the shoe hitting its global peak in November 2024. Recently, the brand’s profit forecast has fallen short in Q1.
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Although the Samba may have reached peak saturation, low profile sneakers continue to dominate. While the chunkier Adidas Campus 00s were hot for a moment, slimmer styles like the SL72 and Tokyo are on the rise.
The brand is also leaning into its collabs and strategically pacing releases to keep interest high. Earlier this week, Adidas announced a collaboration with Bad Bunny on a hybrid, ballerina silhouette — “a vibrant fusion of dance, rhythm, and cultural evolution that pays homage to the island of Puerto Rico and Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio’s roots.” It also dropped an apparel and shoe collab with the trending Sporty & Rich activewear label featuring a classic Adidas Originals Handball Spezial sneaker last month. The brand also continues to push the Superstar, teasing releases like a classic black and white collab with design studio JJJJound.
Of course, Adidas isn’t the only brand pushing the next low profile It Girl sneaker. Similar silhouettes to the Samba have been a hit for heritage brands like Gola and Onitsuka Tiger. Vans has also revived its 1980s Serio line in a modern interpretation with its Super Lowpro sneakers, which Marie Claire calls “unexpectedly trendy, rooted in retro athleticism.”
