The golden letters “SAMBA” running up the stripes match their leather counterpart, and the black-and-white colorway remains the shoe’s signature look. The only outward indication these are vegan is a shadow-stamped “Adidas Originals Vegan” insignia on the back flank of the shoe, and it’s not as present as it can appear on the website photos. The “Adidas Vegan Originals” stamp is subtle and relatively minimal. I’m a fan of the gum rubber outsole, which looks like it can take a beating while staying grippy. The insole itself is firm but forgiving, as you’d expect from a classic soccer-inspired sneaker where agility is a requirement. The tongue is not padded, but it’s always been that way. There’s ample padding, from the reinforced heel pull and ankle bracing to subtle arch support. Lots of care was taken here for the shoes not to appear mass-made.Ĭushioned well around the ankle and heel pull.įrom a comfort perspective, the “leather” has been conditioned in a way that it’s not stiff out of the box. But here? The pieces look almost hand-cut in their inconsistency. You’ll also usually have some laser-cut edges, indicative of the fabricated nature of the shoe. This actually presents like a unique piece of leather. But even so, I was expecting to catch a repeating, recognizable pattern of leather-wrinkles to give it away, but I can’t find a single repeat. The “leather” itself is what surprised me the most – but then again, it should, given it’s the cornerstone of any vegan leather option. I haven’t ordered Adidas in a while, nor do I have any in my closet to compare, so take that with a grain of kosher salt.Ī bit difficult to photo, but that leather grain is top-notch. I’d order your normal size in most cases, but there’s a chance these run a touch small. In terms of the fit, they’re a classic, narrower fit, and they’re actually pretty perfect. I ordered a size 9.5, which was all that was available at the time, as my normal 9 was out of stock. These obviously have the same attention to detail, material selection, and construction as their leather counterparts. These aren’t your big-box-store, plasticky-leather, $25 facsimile of a popular shoe. Honestly, if I didn’t already know I was holding vegan shoes, I’m not sure I’d believe you if you told me.
The materials feel excellent in the hand, have a substantial enough weight to them that they don’t have that “artificial” feel that some faux-leather shoes can have. Right out of the box, these look, and feel, exactly like the Adidas classic. But to remake such classics as the Samba, the Superstar, and the new-Dappered-favorite Continental 80 without leather? That takes a lot of planning and solid execution. It’s one thing to make a sneaker out of vegan materials. When Adidas set out to remake the iconic Samba OG sneaker with completely animal-free materials (no leathers, no glues/colors with animal derivations), they knew that had to nail it. He plays guitar and drums, loves going to concerts with his wife, and loves being a dad.Īs somewhat of Dappered’s “animal-free” guy, I’ve become interested in products that take familiar menswear stalwarts and manage to create a similar or near-exact replica without the use of leather.
#Samba adidas shoes professional#
is a professional web developer for (and alum from) the University of Delaware, who keeps a close shave as to not be confused with his strongly-bearded twin brother.
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