Adidas Outfits the Samba as a Dress Shoe

Adidas appears to be on a mission to prove it can transform its classic sneakers to look like anything in the wide world of footwear. It recently partnered with Brain Dead to make the Japan into a wrestling shoe fit for proper luchadores and gave the Campus 00s the DNA of Ugg boots and slippers — not to mention all the oddballs it’s made with Edison Chen and Clot since their partnership began early last year.

Joining the trend is the Adidas Samba Lux, a reconfigured version of the staple terrace sneaker borrowing several elements from dressier shoes. A platform crepe sole follows the lead of Adidas’ continuing collaboration with Kith and Clarks and meets the upper with natural-colored leather trim. The upper itself is largely unchanged, rendered entirely in leather in either burgundy or black with cream striping as the only deviation in color. A sizable kiltie then covers the laces with an embossed Trefoil and perforated strips, which you can easily remove if it’s not your style.

Despite the Lux moniker, however, pricing comes in at $110, well within the typical range of Sambas.

Even past its high point in popularity, the Samba has remained relevant this year in large part due to Adidas continuing to play with it. A cheetah-print pony hair rendition similar to past Wales Bonner collaborations has sold out through numerous restocks this year, and it was recently followed up with an equally wild variant with snakeskin texture.

The Adidas Samba Lux doesn’t yet have a confirmed release date but is expected to release before the end of the year through Adidas’ website. Pricing will be exclusive to women.