--- title: Your childhood sneakers are keeping Adidas afloat - The Hustle description: Sambas are sweeping the fashion scene and bringing in big profits for the brand. image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1051165463-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-Samba_20230906212732.webp --- # Your childhood sneakers are keeping Adidas afloat ![Sara Friedman](https://53.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/53/assets/hubspot.com/web-team/WBZ/HubSpot%20Media/Blog%202021/Images/Nav/Optimized/TheHustle_Icon_Dark.svg) [Sara Friedman](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/sara-friedman) [Sara Friedman Twitter profile ](https://twitter.com/sarafriedmannn) Published: September 07, 2023 Updated: October 11, 2023 One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and one middle schooler’s sneaker is now the shoe of the summer. ![Feet wearing black Adidas Sambas with white ankle socks.](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1051165463-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-Samba_20230906212732.webp?width=595&height=400&name=1051165463-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-Samba_20230906212732.webp) The Adidas Samba, first introduced in [1949](https://stockx.com/news/why-is-the-adidas-samba-so-popular/) to help soccer players train on icy fields, is having a [renaissance](https://www.gq.com/story/welcome-to-the-samba-anxiety-era). What was once a humble, affordable sneaker popular with athletes and kids at recess is now a high-fashion status symbol. - Celebrities like A$AP Rocky, Rihanna, and Bella Hadid were photographed sporting Sambas as early as 2021, and [Jonah Hill](https://www.complex.com/sneakers/a/riley-jones/jonah-hill-adidas-samba-superstar-release-date) created his own sneaker. - Collaborations with fashion brands like [Wales Bonner](https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/wales-bonner-adidas-ss23/) cemented the sneaker as a must-have. - The hashtag #adidassamba has 534m+ views on TikTok and the shoe has taken off on social media. They’ve sold out [multiple](https://www.elle.com.au/fashion/adidas-samba-sneaker-alternatives-28327) times on Adidas’ site, and Google searches for the shoe are at an all-time [high](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&geo=US&q=adidas%20samba&hl=en). On resale sites like StockX, some Sambas are selling for as much as 8x their original prices. ([$800+](https://stockx.com/adidas-clarks-8th-street-samba-by-ronnie-fieg-chalk-white-green?utm_source=af&utm_medium=imp&utm_campaign=10078&impactSiteId=Tmt1ZUwy3xyPTnCxX-XqpzZbUkF375zHrymk200&clickid=Tmt1ZUwy3xyPTnCxX-XqpzZbUkF375zHrymk200&utm_term=Tmt1ZUwy3xyPTnCxX-XqpzZbUkF375zHrymk200&utm_content=gq.com_530344&irgwc=1&irclickid=Tmt1ZUwy3xyPTnCxX-XqpzZbUkF375zHrymk200&ir_campaignid=9060&ir_adid=530344&ir_partnerid=10078) Sambas, anyone?) **This comes at a good time…** … for a brand that recently hit a massive roadblock. Adidas needed to fill a Kanye-shaped hole after the company cut ties with the rapper and Yeezy sales dropped [$441m](https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/05/05/adverse-yeezy-impact-adidas-projects-771-million-loss-this-year-after-cutting-ties-with-kanye/?sh=453efe8d6013) YoY. The brand had its hands full with [$1.3B](https://apnews.com/article/adidas-yeezy-kanye-west-ye-shoes-a376110debeb1a2f18ba5180bd1dd69a) of unsold stock, and its North American market saw sales decline 20%. But Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden remains optimistic: He [says](https://www.businessinsider.com/adidas-sambas-and-gazelles-could-recoup-lost-yeezy-revenue-2023-3) that the Sambas are part of a new franchise for the business, and that it “can be millions and millions of pairs.” **To kick off the next era…** … Adidas is going all-in on its (new) favorite child: It launched a Samba pop-up in [Shanghai](https://www.shopdropdaily.com/post/adidas-originals-samba-day-pop-up-space-wukang-road-shanghai) and hosted aSamba Cafe with Pharrell Williams during [Paris](https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/pharrell-adidas-samba-cafe/) Fashion Week. **Now for some Adidas trivia: **The [first](https://www.mrporter.com/en-ch/journal/fashion/adidas-samba-modern-classic-sneaker-17520478) Sambas looked more like leather hiking boots, and the shoes only came in black until [2011](https://archive.nytimes.com/goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/30/the-adidas-samba-tees-off-and-soccer-shoes-with-a-chip/?searchResultPosition=1). Topics: [Fashion](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/tag/fashion) [Clothing](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/tag/clothing) ## Follow us on social media prev next - ![This company is really into T-shirts](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/689903747-httpsmedia.hubspot.comhubfsDaily20Newsletter20ImagesOlder20DatesApril20102c202023tshirts-buckmason.webp) ### This company is really into T-shirts - ![A Pop-Tarts and Crocs partnership exists because we’re all total suckers](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1897903693-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-croc-tarts_20230814231514.webp) ### A Pop-Tarts and Crocs partnership exists because we’re all total suckers - ![Using AI for the perfect fit](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/211713850-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-truetoform_20230807230535.webp) ### Using AI for the perfect fit - ![Nike looks to clear some hurdles and hit its stride](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/76411467-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-Nike_20230711001823.webp) ### Nike looks to clear some hurdles and hit its stride - ![LL Bean gave social media the boot but its business still got the kick](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/67270142-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-Outdoor-Activities_20230601224351.webp) ### LL Bean gave social media the boot but its business still got the kick - ![The next big thing for influencers is less influencing](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1107964340-HS-News-Brief_2022-12-07T225526.718Z.webp) ### The next big thing for influencers is less influencing - ![2023 could be really bad for Adidas](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/113398365-HS-News-Brief_2023-02-14T011151.574Z.webp) ### 2023 could be really bad for Adidas - ![Fadeaway: Nike’s latest pivot is bad for brick-and- mortar retail](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/139434517-News-Brief_2020-09-01T005347.846Z.webp) ### Fadeaway: Nike’s latest pivot is bad for brick-and- mortar retail - ![‘Air’ of superiority: Nike’s GOAT shoe bounds forward](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/329226565-final_size-NikeAirMax_20230324004608.webp) ### ‘Air’ of superiority: Nike’s GOAT shoe bounds forward - ![Comfy fashion is paying off](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/86010805-httpsthe-hustle.hubspot.comhubfsDaily20Newsletter20ImagesMarch2023202023ComfyFashion.webp) ### Comfy fashion is paying off Pop up for Subscribe to The Hustle Daily Newsletter Subscribe to The Hustle Daily Newsletter Get the 5-minute news brief keeping 2.5M+ innovators in the loop. 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