
To see Sambas in such abundance implies the long-standing sneaker is already recirculating through tertiary markets, of which Pittsburgh is one. This city, I thought, has its own unique style - see: sports jerseys and '90s-wash denim - but one that's far from being either on the forefront of fashion or a place where fashion folks draw influence. I glanced up from my phone at several pairs I could see from my corner of one of Pittsburgh's most popular coffee shops. Reaching Tertiary Marketsĭays later, I was filling him in on the sneaker's roller coaster calendar year, via text, as I scrolled through the limited-edition collabs. Were they suddenly worth the $500 someone paid for them in 2022? No, but he was more willing than ever to try them again, despite their connotations to tryouts and line drills. "The white Sambas do go hard." As someone who had previously worn them without thought, to soccer practice and to pick-up soccer games, he suddenly saw them in a new light. Stunned by my sudden obsession, both were hesitant to hand out compliments.

There are slight differences in the outsoles, too, but not in tread or traction control, just color. The OG, on the other hand, has almost no arch support, much like the Chuck Taylor-All Star, and a much shorter tongue. It has higher arches, a longer tongue and is easier to slip in and out of.

(Hint: try sport-specific outlets, like, not the official Adidas website.) I went with the Samba Classic, the iteration with the extended tongue - the pair truly meant for indoor soccer. Then I got two pairs, and with ease, too, despite the shoe's newfound over-the-top popularity. But they'd completely written me off, a non-soccer player, as someone who'd wear, let alone like, Sambas. John wears a pair of black Samba OG sneakers, the version with the shorter tongue, all the time - to the gym, to pick up a quick dinner and to the occasional bar, especially if soccer is on. So, how can a buzzy sneaker get even buzzier, you ask? Even though it seems like the fashion elite is slowly moving on, everyone else is catching up, meaning Sambas still have plenty of shoppers left to convert - including plenty of folks that wore Sambas some 10, 15 or even 20 years ago and are long overdue for a fresh pair.Īmong those are my childhood best friends, and two true soccer fanatics, Chris and John. But the hits keep coming, if you will, with more limited-edition Sambas on the horizon. The affordable everyman indoor soccer suddenly shoe suddenly switched up - it went high fashion, thanks in no small part to designer renditions by Grace Wales Bonner, Pharrell and Sporty and Rich founder Emily Oberg.
