Nearly every adidas shoe people are wearing right now is forty or fifty years old. That's not a criticism — it's the whole appeal. But "old school adidas" covers a lot of different shoes, and they came from different sports and different decades.
Here's what each one actually is.
Samba (1950)
The oldest of the group and the one that started it. It was built for playing football on frozen ground — which is why it has a flat gum sole for grip and a suede toe cap for durability.
That's also why it fits narrow and low. It was designed to feel like a boot, not a lifestyle sneaker. See the Sambas collection.
Gazelle (1966)
A training shoe, and the first adidas to use suede across the whole upper rather than just the toe. Softer and slightly roomier than a Samba, with a more rounded shape.
The Gazelle Indoor is the version most people are buying now — a lower, slimmer take with a gum sole. Gazelles collection.
Handball Spezial (1979)
Made for indoor handball, which is why it has the pivot-friendly gum sole and the reinforced suede. It's the roomiest of the terrace models — more forgiving through the forefoot than either a Samba or a Gazelle.
It's the one I'd point most people to if they want the look without the narrow fit. Handball Spezials collection.
Superstar (1969)
A basketball shoe, and the first low-top leather one. The rubber shell toe existed to stop players blowing out the toe box on court.
It's the only shoe in this group built from leather rather than suede, which makes it the easiest to clean and the most formal-looking. Superstars collection.
SL 72 (1972)
Built for the Munich Olympics as a lightweight racing shoe. Nylon upper, suede overlays, and a wedge sole that tilts you forward slightly.
It's the most obviously seventies-looking shoe adidas makes, and the one that reads least like a modern sneaker. SL 72 collection, and we wrote a full SL 72 guide.
Japan and Tokyo
Both came out of adidas's Olympic-era running line, and both are slim, delicate shoes in their own right — thin soles, low profile, minimal padding, and the narrow City Series last underneath. We deliberately leave them out of the width ranking rather than pretending they slot neatly against the terrace models.
On the Japan side, the Japan in White (IH5489) is the clean version and the Tiger Print Japan (KI6545) is the loud one.
The Tokyo is the harder one to actually buy. It is between drops for us at the moment, so rather than name a colorway here that may not be there when you click it, watch the Tokyos collection — that page only ever shows what we can ship. The rest of the line lives in the Japans collection, and there's more background in our Japan spotlight and Tokyo guide.
Which old school adidas should you buy?
If you want the one everyone recognizes, Samba. If you want comfort, Gazelle or Spezial. If you want leather that cleans up, Superstar. If you want something nobody else on your street has, SL 72 or Japan.
Our Samba vs Gazelle vs Spezial comparison goes deeper on the three that get confused most, and trending sneakers 2026 covers what's actually moving.
Buying vintage-styled adidas secondhand? Read how to spot fake adidas first.
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