Over the past four years, Grace Wales Bonner has worked on a total of 14 (!) Wales Bonner x Adidas Samba sneakers. And while the reigning queen of British menswear could just keep dropping 'em (and we’ll just keep copping 'em), she’s got something a little wilder up her sleeve for her next collection.
If you've never heard of the Samba Millenium before, then you're forgiven. First introduced in 2009, this was basically a beefy update of the classic silhouette. But Adidas purists weren't really feeling them at the time, so they were shelved pretty quickly.
Fast forward 15 years, and we're in the midst of Peak Samba. Even beleaguered British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, try as he might, can't ruin them. With hype at critical levels, the German sportswear company has brought back its chunky cousin—and Wales Bonner is one of the first brands to collab on it.
Revealed in two color combos, the first pair features a creamy white leather construction. Brown tumbled overlays wrap around the heel and the tongue, and the silky sockliner comes in a pleasing green shade. The second is arguably the weird brother of the duo. The front two-thirds is decked out in brown leather, while the back is covered in pony hair that's dyed in royal blue.
Both sneakers are then decorated with wavy stitching across the toe box (inspired by old school soccer cleats), and they sit on top of hefty gum rubber midsoles. As with all of Wales Bonner's other Sambas, they come packed in special co-branded shoeboxes and a lovely dustbag, which is always nice to have.
The Wales Bonner x Adidas Samba Millenium is set to release on May 20 at Adidas, the Confirmed app, and select shops globally for $250 a pop.
This story originally appeared on British GQ with the title 'The Wales Bonner x Adidas Samba Millenium is this summer's hit sneaker'