Adidas Samba

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A well worn pair of Sambas
A well worn pair of Sambas

The adidas Samba is an indoor soccer training shoe. It has been among adidas' most popular, bestselling shoes in recent times. It is now produced in a variety of color schemes, yet the classic three white stripes on black leather is considered the favorite among fans of the shoe. Also, it uses a tan gumsole that distinguishes it from other known adidas models such as the Dragon, Samoa, and Gazelle.

The shoe itself was produced in 1950 to enable football players to train on icy hard ground (hence the suction on the gumsole). Its original design featured the classic three stripes, as well as the gold trefoil on the foldable tongue. As years progressed, the Samba evolved into the Samba Millennium and the new Samba '85, yet classic models of the shoe are still in production, known as the Classic M line.

While the original model is sometimes used for training, street play, and futsal, it is more popularly worn as a casual wear shoe much like the Chuck Taylor All-Star and it is particularly favored as a driving shoe due to the steady grip the gum-rubber outsoles provides on the pedals.

[edit] History

Image:This was the Samba in 1962

Image:Then eventually in the 70's had a gum outsole.

Image:In the 80's through the 90's this was produced and in the 90's became part of the "Adidas Originals" line. It is sold at around £45 in the UK. A Blue suede is also available.

Image:In the 2000's the Samba '85 was created. Despite not actually made in the year 1985 it shares old and modern Samba features.

[edit] In Popular Culture

  • Owen Wilson's character Randy Dupree wears a pair of adidas Samba K (a classic model that uses kangaroo leather) virtually the whole time in the 2006 film You, Me, and Dupree.
  • In the Video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas the character "Ryder" is seen wearing black Samba like shoes.
  • Freddie Mercury wore a pair of white Sambas during Queen's performance at Wembley stadium in 1986.
  • Several of Coldplay's members have been known to wear 'well loved' pairs of adidas Sambas.
  • Ewan McGregor wears a pair of burgundy adidas Samba Super sneakers in the movie "Trainspotting".
  • The song Olé by The Bouncing Souls features the lines: Lace your Sambas, get on out/Off we go to kick it about
  • In Donnie Darko, the title character played by Jake Gyllenhaal can be seen wearing a pair of black 70's style Adidas
  • Blue, white, and yellow Sambas were featured in "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou".

[edit] Trivia

  • Men's magazines such as GQ favor the wearing of Sambas with suits.
  • The shoe was a favorite among the 1970s Liverpool football casuals/scally subculture; indeed the shoe is an icon in the UK along with Reebok Classics.