Home / Style / Sneakers

Adidas’s Next Retro Sneaker Flips the Script on the Classic Samba Formula

Longtime Adidas collaborator Grace Wales Bonner has a track record of elevating iconic designs. This time, the English designer made her own.

Adidas Karintha LoAdidas

By Jack Seemer

Published

·

Every product is carefully selected by our editors. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more

On name alone, Adidas Originals is easy to understand. The sub-brand focuses the bulk of its attention on retro reissues that include some of the most iconic designs in history — the Samba, Stan Smith, Superstar, SL 72.

All to say, when Adidas decides to expand the roster, it usually starts with blasts from the past. Case in point: the Jabbar, which the brand brought back in 2024 and continues to shower with clean colorways.

Well, not only will the next Originals model break that mold as an entirely new design, it may rival even the Samba in terms of demand and clout.

adidas wales bonner karintha
Courtesy of Grace Wales Bonner, the Karintha Lo may look like a retro release. But it’s an entirely new design.
Wales Bonner

What’s new is old

The shoe goes by the name Karintha Lo and when it arrives this week, it will do so by way of longtime Adidas collaborator Grace Wales Bonner.

With a paper trail of sold-out covers to her name, the English fashion designer is largely responsible for the continued relevance of shoes like the Samba and SL 72, both of which she recently imbued with rare materials and premium constructions.

However, for the Karintha Lo, Wales Bonner went out on her own, “drawing on the vibrance and soulful movement felt in cities by the sea,” according the model’s product page.

adidas wales bonner karintha
A shimmering sequin upper distinguishes at least one colorway of the Kathrina Lo from other Originals models.
Wales Bonner

Still, the trademark Wales Bonner treatment remains on full display here, with unique colorways showcase different materials and references from the Adidas archive.

The first is a shimmering sequin upper, complemented by brown satin stripes that should feel instantly familiar, thanks to the sheer dominance of shoes like the Samba, Gazelle and Superstar.

adidas wales bonner karintha
Three stripes, check.
Wales Bonner

Its foil, meanwhile, is a brown-suede variant that keeps the vibes low-key — a trait underscored by its perforated stripes a la the iconic Stan Smith.

Adidas Karintha Lo
The suede variant takes after the Stan Smith with its perforated stripes.
Adidas

Both versions feature a low-profile outsole with Adidas’s old trefoil logo, a characteristic consistent with most Originals models.

Adidas Karintha Lo
Adidas retired the trefoil logo in the late 1990s, however, it still uses the emblem for the Originals sub-brand.
Adidas

Price and availability

The Karintha Lo will be available from Wales Bonner’s official website, as well as the Adidas Confirmed app, starting May 28.

The cost is $250 for the suede version and $350 for the sequin variant. Pairs are expected to be limited.

About the Author:

Jack Seemer is the executive editor at Gear Patrol, with over a decade of experience in product journalism. He currently reports on a wide range of topics, including footwear, watches, EDC, cookware and more.

Read More