Samba OG – Core Black/Better Scarlet-Gum

What year do you think the Samba was introduced? No phones allowed, just come up with what feels right. Don’t worry we’ll wait…

Got it? Cool, so how many of you guessed that the Samba debuted in 1949? It’s one of the earliest shoes produced by adidas, given that Adi Dassler registered Adi Dassler adidas Sportschuhfabrik as a company in the same year. To be fair, the original Samba did look like this. It was released in anticipation of the 1950 football World Cup in Brazil, which is where the ‘Samba’ name comes from.

The most recognisable Samba—the one you see here—is the 1970s iteration with a low-cut upper. Second only to the Stan Smith this is the second-best-selling adidas of all time.