Price: $120 [SOLD OUT; Check eBay for Current Prices]

Why Buy?

The Adidas x Sporty & Rich Samba offers a great look at a pretty affordable price.

Why Avoid?

The Adidas x Sporty & Rich Samba isn’t comfortable, and says “SPORTY & RICH” on it.

Specs

Model	Samba
Height	Low
Materials	Leather / Suede / Rubber
Size	13
Weight	451 g / 15.9 oz
Construction	Cemented
Country of Origin	Vietnam

History

A few months back, 100wears took a look at the Human Race Samba. At the time I called it the most important Adidas of 2023. It was Adidas’ first attempt at a hyped-up launch in a post-Yeezy world, but didn’t quite fill the shoes Adidas hoped it would. With the launch of the Fear of God pack, the pressure is off Pharrell, and several more colorways of the Human Race Samba dropped with little fanfare.

However, just a few days after the most recent launch, Adidas quietly added a different collaboration to the Confirmed app. A second release of their collaboration with the brand Sporty & Rich. There was almost no media, no push notifications, or any of the other stuff the Human Race Samba received.

Adidas had it all wrong. I had it all wrong. This was the Samba to get in 2023.

Before we get into the sneaker, let’s talk a bit about the brand Sporty & Rich. The mood-board-turned-Instagram-account-turned-fashion-design-house primarily focuses exclusively on women’s apparel. Meaning, it’s probably not a brand too many 100wears readers are familiar with.

Unfortunate name aside, they have become one of the best collaborators Adidas works with.

Wondering why I’m posting this review 2 full months late on a sold-out sneaker? A series of unfortunate events pushed back all updates on 100wears for a while, but this sneaker is so good I couldn’t not post it.

Wondering why it’s so good? Let’s dive in.  

Looks

Upper

The upper of the Adidas x Sporty & Rich Samba is everything you could ask for in 2023. High enough quality (for a mass market) white leather? Check. Cream colored accents that look aged without beating you over the head with it? Check. A great accent color that pops without looking obnoxious? Check.

Look, I love bright colored sneakers as much as anyone, but as a dad whose son recently told him he is 3 years from officially being “old,” sometimes you just need a sneaker that has a great classy vibe. That’s what this one (mostly) does in spades.

Digging in a bit deeper, you’ll find that the base is the most conservative of the Samba models – the Samba OG. That means the shorter tongue, less padding under foot, and the harder rubber outsoles. Modifications are actually fairly minimal. The grey toe guard is switched to cream. The black leather panels are switched to a nice burgundy suede, and the lining is a satin-like material in that same cream colorway.

I do think it’s time to deal with the elephant in the room. The words “SPORTY & RICH” are emblazoned not just on the side, but on the back and a silk-like panel on the tongue.  

I know, I know. They are the collaborator, if you don’t like the brand why pay extra for a collab? Honestly, even though I think the shoes would be 20% better without the logo, the design is so good it’s worth overlooking it.

Mid- and Outsole

Where the upper of this shoe had just the right about of changes, the Adidas x Sporty & Rich Samba was much more limited in what the bottom half of the shoe could do. Made entirely of a single piece of rubber, they lighted the color of the outsole to a traditional gum color and… that’s it.

Don’t get me wrong, the shade is just about as perfect as it could be with the upper. I wouldn’t change a thing. It’s just that there isn’t much to say here.

Summary

The Adidas x Sporty & Rich Samba looks great. So great that with an entirely straight face, I think that a sneaker with “SPORTY & RICH” written on the side might be one of the most “grown up” looking sneakers you could get in 2023. Right up there with luxury brands like Common Projects.

That adultness of the sneaker does push it into more subtle fits. No hypebeast stuff with these. While it’s been cold so it hasn’t been super motivating to do so, I honestly don’t even think they work well with shorts. Though maybe that is just because it highlights the patch on the tongue more than I would like.

I wouldn’t let the lack of flexibility deter you from the sneaker. It looks every bit as good in person as it does in pictures.

Fit & Comfort

Fit

The Adidas x Sporty & Rich Samba uses the same last as every other Samba. That is to say they are incredibly narrow. They were originally meant to be worn while playing soccer so no slop was allowed, but in casual wear that does limit who can wear them.

I honestly believe that for a lot of people, the Samba will never be wearable. If you have a wide foot and get one that is wide enough, it’d be laughably long. The super soft upper helps out a lot, so it isn’t as bad as something like a Nike Blazer, but still, something to be aware of.

The good news is that, even if you can’t find this exact make up, you should be able to walk into any Foot Locker and try on a pair that will fit identically before you buy.

My suggestion is to take your true size. It might fit you, it might not, but sizing up or down likely will just cause it to definitely not fit elsewhere.

Comfort

While I can overlook it for a sneaker that looks this good, the comfort on the Adidas x Sporty & Rich Samba is pretty bad. I’ve always said the Samba is in many ways the worst of both worlds. There isn’t anything in the way of cushioning or support, but there is a thick insole and heavy rubber in the outsole so it isn’t really minimalistic.

I would definitely suggest against wearing these all day if you can avoid it.

Materials & Construction

Materials

I’m going to say something that might sound like a back handed comment, but please hear me out. The materials on the Adidas x Sporty & Rich don’t stand out. The leather isn’t super buttery, the suede feels synthetic (and it might be), etc.

Even inside, the sewn and lined insole looks good, but pull it out and it’s as cheap a foam as you’ll ever find on a name-brand sneaker.

Where is the “but”? Well, let me tell you. Despite not being given the breadth of choices that other Samba collaborators were offered, they managed to make a great looking sneaker in spite of these options.

Is it going to be particularly durable? No, but the outsole on Sambas is thin enough upper durability won’t matter.

All this is to say, this is an example of working well with the material constraints you are given.

Construction

The Adidas x Sporty & Rich Samba is made using cemented construction. If you want a more in-depth explanation of what that is, click here. The short version is that the upper of the shoe is sewn together, lasted, and then glued directly to the mid sole.

This style of construction is by far the most common method of making a sneaker. The big benefits are cost, flexibility, and water resistance. As for draw backs, cemented construction is not particularly durable, and is the most difficult construction method to resole.

Pricing

Originally released at an MRSP of $120, the Adidas x Sporty & Rich Samba sold out most places nearly instantly, though if you dig around there are a small number of limited sizes still available at retailers.

If you’re interested and fit those sizes, I would personally act quickly. As of time of writing, resale prices have started to creep 20-30 over MSRP in most sizes. Though, as a reminder, this website does not offer advice on future resale values. The blue colorway in the previous collab went up to $220 before dropping down to near MSRP.

Are the Adidas x Sporty & Rich Sambas worth it?

Heck yeah!

If you couldn’t tell, the Adidas x Sporty & Rich Samba (in the burgundy colorway) is one of my favorite sneaker releases of the whole year. Even better, they’ve managed to do this almost entirely off of looks alone – normally I need some story, materials, or something to make a sneaker stand out.

Am I being taken in by the hype of Sambas in 2023? It’s possible, though I only wear these with outfits that have no hype in them.

No, they are not comfortable, and no, they are not super high quality. But at the end of the day, they are nearly half the price of most main-line sneakers coming out in 2023 so it isn’t really fair to compare the materials to a $200 Jordan or $190 Adidas.

This is peak Samba. 100wears recommended.