The key to being a successful multi-hyphenate these days lies in sleight of hand, and your audience never quite knowing what’s coming next. So, no sooner had Pharrell Williams finished wowing us all with his debut show for Louis Vuitton at Paris Fashion Week, was he preparing for his next move: Humanrace Samba Tones by Pharrell.
The Adidas Samba started out life in 1949 as a football sneaker, something you could wear to play on hard, icy ground. It rapidly developed into something of a cult shoe, worn in various movies (Ewan McGregor wears a burgundy pair in Trainspotting). Then, in 2022 it suddenly became the most popular sneaker in the world. But just as you think Samba fatigue is setting in, and you couldn’t possibly keep wearing them, a new collab or collection drops and you’re all in again.
The first drop—Humanrace Samba Colors by Pharrell—hit us in May, with the sneaker teased at a Samba Café pop-up during Men’s Paris Fashion Week. A limited number of shoes were there and sold on a first come first served basis. This second drop sees the shoe in three more subdued, earthier tones (“Terracotta”, “White” and “Charcoal”) but we’re expecting them to sell out pretty fast, just like the wild colour silhouettes that came before them.
What do you get for your money? Well, a premium ECCO leather for starters. The raw materials, sourced from the Netherlands, are transformed into the adidas Samba Leather through ECCO Leather’s water-saving tanning technology which saves 20 litres of water per hide, resulting in a higher colour fastness and better performance.
You also get that warm glow of satisfaction that can only come from a fresh sneaker purchase. But you have to move fast. The collection will be available globally on August 12, at 4pm (GST) via adidas Confirmed app, Humanrace.com, and select retailers globally.