We’ve been doing Sambas for a couple summers now. The Adidas shoe, which traces its roots back to 1949, when Adidas created it to help German footballers play on the icy pitches of Northern Europe, was originally a football boot before trading its spikes for a familiar flat sole. Now it’s become the go-to shoe for guys and girls who just want a simple shoe, low-cut to wear every day.
It’s part of Adidas’ terrace line right now, which is derived from the shoes football supporters would wear on the terraces of Europe. Now Adidas execs have a big push planned beyond the confines of the pitch.
Whether it’s the black and white or white and black, you see Sambas everywhere. And that’s not an issue—this has long been a shoe that everyone can enjoy. The Samba has a lot of cultural cachet. They’ve been redone by Wales Bonner and worn by the likes of Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner. But also the craziest punk rock guys I used to go to football with always had them. I once saw someone wearing a pair of Sambas Spartan kick someone down multiple rows of stairs at Red Bull Arena. Doesn’t get more authentic than that.
But if you don’t partake in those activities, maybe you wore them in elementary school or for indoor soccer. So you want a pair now, decades later. But you know what’s cool? Separating yourself from the pack.
The good thing about Adidas is that if you like Sambas, they make a bunch of shoes that look close enough and have cool names, too. So you can wear something that is Samba-ish without looking exactly like everyone else. Here are our picks for Samba alternatives.
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Adidas Handball Spezial
Spet-Zee-Al. Not “special.” The Adidas Handball Spezial is truly a great shoe. Most people wearing them right now didn’t know they existed a year ago. And some still might even think they’re Sambas right now. But the shoe was released in 1979 for the German national handball team. That’s handball the sport where you throw a ball around in a soccer format, not handball the sport where you slap a ball off a wall. Either way, the shoes were never really available in the US until a year or two ago. I ordered the original “Argentina Blue”colorway with white stripes and gum sole off Size? back in the day and they didn’t ship even ship them to me. The shoe has infiltrated America and I’m genuinely surprised. Not a bad thing. Just shocked is all. But looks like they’re here to stay for a bit, and the Handball Spezial is cooler shoe than the Samba in my opinion.
Shop StockX's inventory of the Adidas Handball Spezial here.
Adidas Bahama
Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama. The Adidas Bermuda is a shoe from the late ‘70s that has a slightly different and noticeable build than other shoes from the brand during that era. The toebox is slightly shorter than models such as the Samba or Gazelle. It also has its own midsole that is always gum and has a Trefoil logo on the side. I remember buying them when they were reissued in 2016 in various shades of blue. Wore the heck out of them. And they met their end when I dropped a kebab from Halal guys on them. Need a new pair.
Shop StockX's inventory of the Adidas Bermuda here.
Adidas Hamburg
There was a time when all my friends wore Adidas Hamburgs. Couldn’t escape them. Never bought a pair because of that. But it’s been almost 10 years since then, and the Hamburg is back and should be appreciated. What makes the sneaker is its midsole. It has a bunch of ripples throughout the whole foot. The sneaker was first released back in 1982 as part of Adidas’ City Series, with other shoes such as Dublin, Amsterdam, Berlin.
Shop StockX's inventory of the Adidas Hamburg here.
Adidas Munchen
This sneaker’s a munch-en. The Adidas Munchen is another one of Adidas’ City Series shoes, named after Munich, Germany. It’s a nice shoe. It’s similar to the Handball Spezial but has a roomier toebox. I remember getting a pair in 2016 that was a size? exclusive and wore them into the ground. The Munchen is Adidas’ official shoe of Oktobefest, making several models for the drinking and cultural fest. There’s also been a Munchen Super version for the brand’s SPZL line.
Shop StockX's inventory of the Adidas Munchen Here.
Adidas BW Army Trainer
Can’t afford Margiela but want the look? Go for these. Based off the German Army Trainer, a shoe developed for the country’s armed forces in the 1970s, the BW Army Trainer is a modern take on the shoe made for physical fitness. We saw these shoes in 2018 but they took a brief hiatus until this year.
Shop StockX's inventory of the Adidas BW Army Trainer here.
Adidas Rotterdam
This might be one of the most obscure Adidas City Series sneakers of all time. I spent years on super dodgy Facebook groups full of old English men arguing about buying and selling Adidas trainers and never saw a pair of Rotterdams. Adidas brought them back this year for the celebration of Euro 2024. Rotterdam was a host city for Euro 2000 and the ‘00 is added to this pair of white suede shoes to reference that. The original Rotterdam colorway is navy, light blue stripes and a gum sole, which would be great as a retro. But let’s settle for these for now.
Shop StockX's inventory of the Adidas Rotterdam here.
Adidas Gazelle
The Adidas Gazelle isn’t the brand’s first sneaker, but it’s one of the most important. First made in 1966, it was a training shoe. Over the years, it’s taken many different forms, been worn by supermodels and politicians. The Gazelle Indoor has become quite popular lately, but you can never go wrong with a standard Gazelle, either. The shoe was first made in blue and white, and then red and white, and the third colorway, surprisingly enough, was lime green and white. I used to wear those a lot to the football and they got absolutely cooked.
Shop StockX's inventory of the Adidas Gazelle here.
End Clothing x Adidas Tobacco
Man, I love the Adidas Tobacco. Mother frickers really tried to fry me for wearing these back in the day on the Jim Jones episode of Full Size Run. And now look. Classic low profile Adidas shoe. There’s been an elite collaboration with CP Company on them, as well as one with United Arrows. End Clothing did work on the shoe this year inspired by fishing. Two things I love: trainers and fishing. And they come in two great colorways.
Shop StockX's inventory of the End Clothing x Adidas Tobacco here.
Adidas Gazelle Indoor
The Adidas Gazelle is one of the brand’s Mount Rushmore sneakers. But as of late, you’ll see more people in the Gazelle Indoor version. The sneaker is sportier and slightly more modern than its namesake counterpart. The Gazelle originated in 1966, but the Indoor version is from the early ‘80s and takes inspiration from the Handball Spezial. The shoe’s recent popularity can be traced partly to the Gucci x Adidas collaboration from 2021 that used the silhouette. It also became a favorite of Harry Styles. And then they were gone from shelves and on the feet of all the girlies. Luckily you can get them now.
Shop StockX's inventory of the Adidas Gazelle Indoor here.
Adidas London
The Adidas London holds a special place in my heart. Got to host an event out in London in 2019 for the re-release of the shoe, so I’m biased here. One of the wildest nights of my life before I chose not to live a wild life anymore. The shoe’s back, and it’s in a tamer version than it was before, much like myself. It’s all white instead of red and black. Still as good then as now and forever.
Shop End Clothing's inventory of the Adidas London here.