The Classic adidas Samba, Made Thrillingly Frilly
The adidas Originals Samba "Ruffle Stripes” is a classic old-school football shoe turned gloriously frilly.
On the new sneaker, adidas' three stripes — usually bold and built of matching leather — come with ruffled edges, like they’ve been plucked from the sleeve of a 17th-century poet’s shirt. It’s a playful, almost theatrical twist brought to one of adidas' most iconic silhouettes.
Then there’s the smooth, pastel-colored leather sitting atop a creamy off-white sole unit, a summer-appropriate and girlcore-coded choice of material.
The adidas Originals Samba “Ruffle Stripes” continues the noted girlification of sneakers, joining the ranks of Simone Rocha’s glitterbomb Crocs and Cecelie Bahnsen's ballerina-like ASICS. The shoes feel reminiscent of Caroline Hu’s lace-covered Sambas, another girlcore-leaning shoe collaboration, but made more minimal and wearable than those entirely frilly adidas Sambas.
Retailing at a reasonable $100, the “Ruffle Stripes” Samba is set to land in June 2025 on the adidas official website.
The Ruffle Samba doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it does make a storied sneaker thrillingly frilly.
