Wales Bonner and adidas are back at it again with another stellar Samba collaboration, cementing fashion’s fondness for the flappy tongue for FW23. The two brands first got together in 2020 and have been emptying our bank accounts ever since, updating the Three Stripes’ heritage styles with a touch of Wales Bonner’s archival excellence.
We see the Samba revamped in four colourways for FW23, with new materials brought to the table. The football-inspired style will be available in “Core Black;” “Cream White;” “Fox Brown,” and leopard print “Dark Brown.” The “Core Black” and “Fox Brown” variations are made using leather and short-haired suede, and the “Cream White” and “Dark Brown” colourways are crafted from fine pony hair.
While many associate the Samba with a clean and relatively unbusy look, Wales Bonner weaved in the lively prints seen at its Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2024 show into the “Dark Brown” iteration. On the runway, adidas sneakers were crafted from snakeskin-effect leather and accompanied asymmetrical zebra-style tops, which were paired with knee-length white coats.
Previous collections have seen the two brands work across a host of adidas styles, however, this time around it is just the Samba which gets the special treatment which is hardly surprising when you consider the success of previous releases. The SS23 Wales Bonner x adidas Samba currently sells for upwards of £300 on the secondary market, and the demand for the style isn’t over yet.
A promotional campaign for the upcoming release stars King Skateboards and Supreme skater Nakel Smith, who shares why skateboarding is important to him. He also explains what glory means, which is “what everybody loves you for.” Throughout the campaign, talent can be seen wearing apparel pieces from the upcoming collection, which includes a light blue rugby shirt with a white collar and contrasting white and black Three Stripes-branded tracksuits.
Wales Bonner x adidas is a collaboration that works, allowing designer Grace Wales Bonner to lace the classic adidas items with her distinct, nostalgia-driven designs.
The latest Wales Bonner x adidas collection launches on Wednesday, November 8, on the adidas and Wales Bonner websites, and in select stores.
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