Traditionally, wearing sneakers meant one of two things: You were either working out or chilling out. They didn't speak to your identity, or say much about your sense of style or standing in society. But now, in an age of casualization and comfort, your choice of sneakers and how you wear them speaks volumes.
Thankfully, there are more options than ever, but that doesn't necessarily make choosing any easier. The recent rise—and impending fall—of the Adidas Samba encapsulates the challenge. Out of nowhere, the decades-old soccer shoe became the "it" shoe of '23 and well into '24.
If you are wearing this shoe, it suggests you know the trends, you know fashion. But it also conveys a certain reasonableness. These aren't $900 Fendi sneakers; they are classic indoor-soccer shoes that cost a hundred bucks.
However ...
Sambas are no doubt still selling well, and if you wander outside you'll see thousands of pairs. But fatigue has long since set in. The more popular something is, the less cool it becomes, and the Internet is already awash with articles and videos offering alternatives to the ubiquitous shoe.
At some diffuse point in the past couple years, there was a perfect moment to be wearing Sambas. That moment has passed. getty images Adidas Sambas, seen here on Austin Butler, have reached their tipping point.
There is also the matter of sneakers—the shoes that created a subculture of sneakerheads, who drop hundreds or thousands of dollars on reseller sites like StockX. Tha.