No matter the high level of ‘Samba anxiety’ – the phenomenon in which people want to like the sneaker despite everyone else really liking it too – the Adidas Samba will continue to fly. And that's why the ‘Long Tongue’ collection has dropped. It's a stone cold classic, but weirder, and it's also one of the biggest reworks of the silhouette since the '40s.
Revealed in three colour combos, one of the first things that you'll notice about the ‘Long Tongue’ is the, well… long tongues. A nod to the silhouette's roots, this design has been swiped straight off of old school football boots, which used to have an oversized tongue that covered the laces so they didn't come loose mid-match. It's a vibe that Grace Wales Bonner introduced to the model last year, and if you didn't manage to cop the collab, this collection is the ultimate alt.
Kicking it off is the ‘Core Black’ version, which features the most traditional look. With a full leather construction and light grey suede overlays, it's an almost like-for-like recreation of one of the OGs from back in the day.
The ‘Blue’ and ‘Grey,’ on the other hand, are both made with the long, hot summer in mind. Rather than the usual leather upper, both of these Adidas trainers are now equipped with full mesh constructions that are apparently a lot more breezy compared to “normal” pairs. The latter also spices things up with fiery red accents throughout.
The Adidas Samba ‘Long Tongue’ collection is set to drop within the coming weeks at Adidas, the Confirmed app, and select shops globally. A retail price has yet to be officially confirmed, but expect to pay around £100 a pop.