Move over, Sambas — there’s a new adidas it-shoe in town, and Bella Hadid just gave it her blessing.
The SL72 is a lightweight, low-cut sneaker first introduced during the running boom of the ’70s. adidas quietly relaunched the silhouette last year — a wise move, considering our collective disavowal of chunky sneakers in favor of ultra-flat, streamlined kicks.
Signs that the SL72 is poised to overtake the Samba, which seemed to reach peak popularity in 2023, began emerging earlier this year.
Wales Bonner’s Spring/Summer 2024 collection features mesh takes on the vintage running shoe, and TikTok is rife with unboxing and try-on videos starring the silhouette. And we’ve got it on good authority that adidas is about to drop the SL72 in a slew of new colorways, including one made in collaboration with Sporty & Rich.
Bella Hadid’s latest street style moment is definitive indication that the SL72 is, indeed, set to become sneaker supreme. On Thursday, the model and trendsetter was spotted in New York City sporting the shoes in a red-orange colorway.
Hadid was in town to celebrate her new adidas Originals billboard in Times Square, so it’s not exactly surprising that she was dressed in the brand. Still, her endorsement of the SL72 is powerful praise — most everything Hadid co-signs, from Sonny Angels to “office siren” Bayonetta glasses, becomes a full-fledged trend.
Hadid isn’t the only celeb to embrace the SL72. Timothée Chalamet, Suki Waterhouse, and Emily Ratajkowski have all recently sported the shoe. Consider this your sign to stock up.