It even made its way to the silver screen. Though athletes initially wore it for its performance and comfort, the Samba became a fashion staple as celebrities began incorporating the shoe into their casual outfits. The Samba knew no economic boundaries and was universally loved–from small rural shops to high-end retailers. The simple, classic retro aesthetic of the shoe is simple and unassuming. Samba is synonymous with soccer culture, particularly in Europe. The adidas Samba's Classic Features and Evolving Design By the 1980s and 1990s, the adidas Samba had taken over European streetwear culture, from Germany to England and anywhere else soccer was the king of sport.

It was a perfect companion to the streetwear tracksuits of the 1960s. As adidas grew its product catalogue, the Samba remained a constant. The all-leather shoe originally came in black with the now-iconic three stripes–still one of its most popular colourways. The Samba was built for performance, but its classic styling allowed it to be easily paired with any colour sports uniform. The Samba was the first soccer shoe that allowed players to train on the slickest of surfaces–even frozen fields. Adi Dassler launched adidas in 1949, and one year later, the Samba was released. The Samba has been there for nearly all of adidas's 70-plus years in the sportswear industry, and its popularity has never wavered. Not only is the adidas Samba one of the first shoe launches in the company's history, but it's also their second-highest selling design, ever. Long before Nike, Puma and Umbro entered the soccer arena, there was the Samba.

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