Years after ascending to “it” status, the Adidas Samba has found animal prints and textures as a sound strategy to retain relevance. Most of the treatments that have proven popular over the past year-plus have pulled from the tropics, but a new iteration will look to the farm come October.
The Adidas Samba “Cow Print” applies a black-on-white bovine spot treatment via pony hair paneling on the upper’s base, T-toe and eyestay. Black leather retains the monocrhome look through to the tongue and lining, with “Chalk Blue then diverging through the leather mustache and Three Stripes, as well as the laces. Go-to gold branding keeps its place on the tongue, as does a translucent gum cupsole.
Taking a page from the early Wales Bonners collab that helped drive demand for the Samba, the sneaker has seen pony hair renditions with cheetah, leopard and deer since early in 2025. Textured leathers have also brought the looks of crocodiles and snakes, while a few other distinct cow prints have also popped up.
You May Also Like
It isn’t just the Samba, either, leaning into the animal kingdom. Core models from other brands have adopted the trend from the Nike Air Force 1 to the Puma Speedcat, and it’s also been popular in the broader realm of women’s footwear.
Next month, Saucony will release a five-shoe collection dubbed “Space Cowboy” mixing cow prints and metallic silver accents, including pony hair on the lifestyle shoes and a realistic print that mimics the texture on performance running models.
The Adidas Samba “Cow Print” will release in October through Adidas’ website and select third-party retailers. Pricing is set at $120.
