The world of sneakers is a funny one, if not wildly unpredictable.
After reigning supreme for the last few years, the adidas Samba's seemingly unflappable time at the top looks like it could well be coming to an end in 2023, or that it'll be sharing the limelight at least.
While all the talk recently has been about the Samba (thanks not least to its multitude of exemplary collaborations), the adidas Gazelle has been quietly going about its business and raising its own profile in the process.
The suede-heavy low-top — which was ranked 7th in in Lyst’s hottest products of 2023 Q1 — is often referred to as the younger and slightly chunkier sibling of the Samba, and is too derived from the realm of indoor football.
For those not au fait with the Gazelle — the sweet, smooth, suedey lace-up — a little background: designed initially as an indoor football sneaker in 1968, the Gazelle was given a reinvention in 1991 which has since seen it assume the slightly bulkier look we see today.
Shop adidas Gazelle here
In the proceeding years, in the UK especially, the silhouette found itself as a permanent fixture on the terraces of football stadiums across the country and soon became the footwear of choice for style-minded fans.
More recently the Gazelle found itself the focal point of a slew of successful adidas collaborations, most notably with NOAH, Y-3, and Gucci, the latter of which saw the low-profile silhouette arrive in half-a-dozen technicolors.
It's not only the magic of a collaboration that's raised the Gazelle's profile recently (although another Gucci collab for 2023 hasn't done any harm), it's also down to the Samba's popularity.
For those searching for a Samba alternative, why look further than its chunkier (and cheaper) sibling?
Shop adidas Gazelle here
In the same way as the Samba, the Gazelle’s mainline collections have become a must have as well as the limited editions, not least thanks to TikTok where “adidas Gazelle” has garnered almost 540 million views through unboxings and stylings.
To the untrained eye, the Gazelle might not look too dissimilar from the Samba and, in truth, that's right. But, while the differences might be subtle — the all-over suede, the higher midsole, the slightly longer tongue — they make all make difference when it comes to complimenting an outfit.
With the likes of Harry Styles, Jacob Elordi, and Kendall Jenner already disembarking the Samba train and boarding the Gazelle highway, the latter’s merit is very likely to sky-rocket in the coming months which will of course make them harder to get a hold of.
My advice? Get a pair while you still can and tie them up tight, because the adidas Gazelle is in for one hell of a ride through 2023.
