Finally, We’ve Found The Trainers Everyone’s Wearing As An Alternative To Adidas Sambas

It takes a certain kind of power to single-handedly stop a trend in its tracks. And while he’s not exactly performing at the polls ahead of this year’s presumed general election, Rishi Sunak is second to none – unparalleled, in fact – when it comes to making every fashion girlie in the land break up with their favourite pair of sneakers, adidas’s hallowed Sambas.

Luckily, Dakota Johnson has already found a replacement: Nike's Cortez. A hero of the house for 50 years, Johnson's been wearing her brown suede pair with a relaxed outfit of a white tee and frayed jeans on the set of her new film, Materialists.

But wait, what's happened to Sambas? Are we not wearing them anymore?! The Prime Minister basically sported a pair for a video interview with accountant Abigail Foster, appearing in ‘smart casual’ mode (i.e. no tie and wearing trainers). And the trainers in question were none other than black-and-white Sambas – not just the exact shoe, but the exact colourway repped by J-Lo, Kendall Jenner and EmRata. The internet’s reaction wasn’t kind, with comments underneath memes ranging from, ‘Destroyed them instantly’ to simply, ‘Dead!’ Because whatever your political leanings, the bipartisan takeaway is that it would be deemed uncool (nay, catastrophic) to keep wearing your Sambas.

That’s not to say that you need to remove them from your current roster entirely (there’s almost guaranteed to be a comeback on the heels of say, Rihanna, getting hers out of storage), but now they’re firmly on the finance bros’ algorithm, it’s time to hotfoot it in the opposite direction.

Several contenders have already emerged as we've discussed, one of which is another cult entry from adidas. The SL 72 is also a retro design and has already had the seal of approval from Bella Hadid, who didn’t need a persona non grata of a political nature to come along before she moved on from Sambas. EmRata, meanwhile, has turned to Puma’s Palermo, wearing the low-top sneaker with its distinctive gum sole on repeat this spring.

But the one that's personally turned my head is Nike’s Cortez. Stylist Gabriella Karefa-Johnson has been wearing the suede green pair, which is perfect for this moment in time because of its ‘chlorophyll’ green suede upper and blue sole detailing.

Sambas, it’s been fun and, no doubt, will be fun in the (distant) future but, for now, it’s time for a new trainer to enter the chat.

SHOP: The Adidas Samba Alternatives

Natalie Hammond is Grazia’s Senior Fashion News Editor. She loves winter, hates summer and can often be found writing about the weather (and what on earth to wear).