Adidas Originals sneakers: Samba, Gazelle and Handball Spezial

One hundred and ninety-five pairs of Adidas Originals in store, from 49 to 190 euros. It is the deepest department in the shop, and also the one where the question we hear most often is not “how much does it cost?” but “what’s the difference?” We’ll try to answer that here.

Samba, and why there are forty-nine pairs

The Samba was launched in 1950 as a football shoe for frozen pitches: rubber sole, reinforced leather toe, low profile. It has never left the catalogue, and it is the model for which we keep the broadest assortment - forty-nine pairs, from 55 to 130 euros, in smooth leather, suede and versions with a contrasting stripe. If it’s your first pair of Adidas Originals, it is the choice least likely to go wrong: it works with jeans and trousers.

Gazelle and Campus, the two suede models

They are easy to confuse, and it often happens that someone coming in asks for one while meaning the other. The Gazelle (1968, originally designed as a training shoe) is the slimmer of the two: thin suede, sharp lines, twenty pairs from 55 to 120 euros. The Campus comes from 1980s basketball and is fuller: thick suede, padded tongue, thirteen pairs from 49 to 150. You can feel the difference immediately in your hand; in photos, much less so.

Superstar, the shell toe

Twenty-six pairs, from 70 to 140 euros. The shell-shaped rubber toe from 1969 is the most recognisable thing Adidas has ever made, and it remains the model bought by anyone looking for something white that does not go unnoticed.

Handball Spezial, the one they ask for last and buy first

Twenty pairs, from 66 to 120 euros. Designed for indoor handball, it has an amber rubber sole and suede in muted colours - petrol blue, forest green and grey. Over the last two years, this is the model that has taken the place previously held by the Gazelle: anyone looking for it already knows what they want.

The others

Then there are the Tokyo and SL 72, six pairs of each, originating from 1970s running and with the most streamlined shape of all; two pairs of Stan Smith; and around fifty pairs across Team Court, Taekwondo slip-on, Megaride and Adizero, for anyone looking for something not everyone else has.

About sizing

With these models, the fit varies from one family to another, so we cannot give you one rule that applies to all of them: if you are unsure about the size, write to us with the model you are interested in and we’ll tell you how it worked out for whoever bought it before you. It’s the kind of thing a shop knows that a size chart does not.

What to browse alongside them

You’ll find the entire brand in the Adidas Originals selection, with sweatshirts, tracksuits and hats. If you are comparing several brands, there are men’s sneakers and women’s sneakers.

Questions we are often asked

Are they genuine? We are an authorised retailer: the shoes come from Adidas, with their box and tag.

Shipping? Free on orders over 149 euros.

What if the size is wrong? Thirty days for a free return: the possibility of exchanging sizes is the reason it exists.

Can I try them on? Yes, we are in Roccapiemonte (Salerno): order online and collect in store, or come by the shop.

Looking for animal prints? The animal-print sneakers - cow-print and leopard-print Samba, pony-hair Handball Spezial, spotted Gazelle: twenty-six pairs - are all on one page, so if one size is sold out, you can see the alternatives immediately.