Mercedes-Benz and adidas released a Samba OG collaboration on October 13, a limited three-colorway run built to mark the German carmaker's 140th anniversary. The pairs retail for $130 each in Magic Beige, Grey Five, and Black/Black.
The design pulls from Mercedes-Benz's road cars rather than its separate Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 partnership with adidas. A diamond-stitch pattern across the leather upper echoes the quilted seats found in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, and exposed heel stitching adds contrast. In place of the Samba's usual branding, metal Mercedes-Benz plates run along the Three Stripes, and the three-pointed star sits on the tongue.
It's the latest brand crossover for a silhouette that has already carried collaborations with Lionel Messi and Inter Miami and Coca-Cola, among others, each pairing the Samba with a different kind of institution rather than a single sport or scene.
The Samba OG itself dates to 1950, originally designed as a training shoe for soccer players to practice on icy pitches, before crossing over into skate and streetwear culture decades later. That dual identity — performance footwear turned cultural object — is part of why brands keep returning to it for anniversary and crossover releases rather than newer silhouettes in adidas's catalog.
Pricing and specs match adidas's standard Samba OG tier: a $130 retail price sits above the $100 standard Samba but below limited collaborator releases that have run as high as $200. The leather upper construction, with its added quilting and stitching detail, is consistent with past premium Samba treatments rather than a new tooling or silhouette change.
Source: Complex
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