If you've ventured on to social media or strolled down a busy city avenue recently, chances are you've noticed a significant uptick in the number of people donning the vintage favorite Adidas Sambas.
The decades-old sneakers, which trace their origins back to Brazilian football and indoor futsal, are now seen almost daily on everyone from English Premier League coaches to high fashion models on and off the job.
Related: Adidas thinks it has the perfect shoe to take on Nike
The resurgence in popularity, which Adidas has acknowledged in a campaign aptly entitled "We Gave the World an Original. You Gave Us a Thousand Back," couldn't have come at a better time.
In late 2022, Adidas divested its lucrative and popular partnership with rapper Kanye West, whose line had accounted for nearly 10% of the company's annual revenue. The German brand was suddenly stuck with more than $1 billion of unsold inventory and a PR nightmare on its hands.
And despite new CEO-Bjørn Gulden's recent eyebrow-raising comments about the "unfortunate" Kanye breakup, Adidas seemingly has not looked back since the divestiture. It's done several successful collabs with other celebrities, sports figures, and brands. But a new partnership with another popular sportswear brand that's synonymous with luxury might promise to finally breathe new life into the brand and bring sales roaring back to life.
Adidas collaborates with Moncler
In an announcement on Monday, Adidas said it would partner with European winter fashion house Moncler (MONRF) -) in a line called Moncler X adidas Originals.
The line will be "designed for exploration," and promises to push "the boundaries of co-creation as the two iconic brands find inspiration in the journey from mountainous peaks to the city below."
The collaboration will offer puffer jackets track suits, and waterproof shoes that marry form with high fashion. The programmatic motto is "Where Originality Meets Extraordinary," and features bold winter colors that "recall traffic lights in greens, oranges, and reds, before oscillating between concrete-gray and sky blue, via off-white and organic dark greens."
Here’s to the explorers.
— adidas Originals (@adidasoriginals) October 2, 2023
To those who travel beyond limits.
To a place Where Originality Meet Extraordinary.
To @Moncler x adidas Originals. pic.twitter.com/ympZIcPY7X
Some early releases of images include puffer shoes in vibrant oranges, long hooded puffer jackets in cobalt blue and oversized parkas featuring Adidas' signature three-stripe design.
Moncler x adidas Originals (2023) https://t.co/lRTEeODo0Z pic.twitter.com/qOZGh3qDj7
— highsnobiety (@highsnobiety) October 2, 2023
"Bold footwear grounds the looks: the NMD has been Moncler-ized and given a winter makeover in GORE-TEX, puffed up by bubble padding," an Adidas press release described. The iconic Campus has also been cocooned in bubble padding for an augmented Moncler feel. Form and function meet at the intersection of outdoor mountain life and city streets: a new meeting of worlds, made for exploring."
The full collection will be available on both Moncler and Adidas websites starting Oct. 4 and will be in stores beginning Oct. 5.
