The seemingly endless swell of Adidas Sambas’ popularity may have been cut short by Rishi Sunak this April, but one thing remains from its long reign as the It Trainer of London: its tongue. I’m not talking about any old Adidas Samba, of course. Those have a perfectly average tongue, sitting under the laces like normal.
I’m talking about the Wales Bonner collaboration, which featured leopard print patterns, tactile textures, metallic sheens and, occasionally, a big fat folded tongue. Their popularity across London was undeniable, and now that signature Big Fat Tongue is starting to crop up in among other trainer brands, too. According to a buyer at Asos, one trainer becoming increasingly popular on the site is the Adidas Taekwondo, which looks almost like the 1980s-loved Lonsdales with their white, slip-on nature, and a noticeably protruding tongue to boot.
Meanwhile, Rihanna has turned her attention away from Fenty Beauty for a second to unveil her newest Fenty x Puma collaboration, a version of Puma’s Avanti shoe which features — you guessed it — a big fat tongue.Originally built into football boots so that it could be folded over to better protect the instep from the blows of opposing studs, these tongues are now a hot accessory for those pounding the pavements of London. “At some point in the last four to six months I noticed fashion influencers loving the big tongue on a trainer,” says Rick Woodrow, owner of the popular online vintage clothing boutique Ri.
