A Post-Samba Sneaker Built From the Same Fiber as Bulletproof Cars
The adidas Handball Spezial, a slim-shaped terrace classic that’s risen to prominence in the shadow of the adidas Samba, is now offered with Dyneema yarn.
In other words, the world’s strongest fiber, used on everything from armored vehicles to high-performance sailing ropes, is now infused into a retro post-Samba adidas shoe. This is a low-key sneaker with enormous strength.
Available in two colorways, a hazy coral pink and a muted grey, the hardy Dyneema yarn is found on the shoe's base material, which has a crinkly paper-like texture. Above, there are the classic textured suede overlays and white leather three stripes.
Just by looking at the shoe, there’s no way of knowing the pioneering ultra-tough technology behind it. This just looks like a tasteful, pale-hued rendition of a time-honored sneaker.
You certainly wouldn’t expect to find Dyneema woven into its deceivingly hardy outer because, well, Dyneema isn’t made for this kind of everyday shoe.
Sure, Dyneema sneakers exist. You can find the fiber on Norda’s ultra-techy trail runners, once described by Highsnobiety as the Lamborghini of trail shoes, or on Vans’ surprisingly outdoorsy sneakers, but on a shoe this casual? There’s no real precedent for that.
And even more wild is that the Dyneema Handball Spezia quietly landed on the adidas website for $120. That’s only $10 more than its regular mesh-and-suede counterpart.
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