The sneaker Mount Rushmore is a very personal thing, but there are a handful of undeniably dominant silhouettes that often make the cut. The adidas Samba OG is undoubtedly one of them, beloved by sneakerheads and casual fans alike, and continues to dominate the world of fashion to this day (fueled by a somewhat recent resurgence in popularity). The ubiquity of this silhouette makes it the perfect candidate for experimentation, and that’s exactly what adidas is doing with the “Cardboard / Chalk White / Brown Desert” colorway for the Samba OG, swapping that classic leather construction with mesh. 

Taking cues from the label’s ‘70s-era leisure archive, this new colorway starts with a breathable mesh upper clad in “Cardboard” brown, mixed with those classic suede and leather details like the T-toe (in “Brown Desert”) and the iconic stripes (in “Chalk White”). Not only does this mesh construction allow for more airflow, but it should also cut down on the overall weight of the shoes, making them the perfect Spring kicks. This is also a pretty big departure from the traditional Samba construction, which is famously a mostly leather silhouette, and it does a good job of channeling that retro ‘70s look.

adidas has been playing around with the Samba’s texture quite a bit over the last few years with collabs like those leopard print Sambas with Wales Bonner, but it’s been a while since we’ve seen mesh outside of the activewear lineups (the last big release being those funky Samba Sock Primeknits). Sambas also don’t seem to be going anywhere, and since they’re here to stay, it’s nice to see the formula getting shaken up a bit. 

The adidas Samba OG in “Cardboard / Chalk White / Brown Desert” is available now for $120, and arrives just in time to kick off the warm weather.