Adidas Samba: Death of iconic trainer after Rishi Sunak is spotted wearing them 

Paired with a white shirt, navy chinos and black socks, the box-white sambas were impossible to overlook. Despite being a Downing Street tax policy interview, his ridiculously short trousers made it impossible to focus on anything other than his footwear. The clunky mismatch of suit and trainer just highlights his stuffy, boring presence as a man who will never be entertaining enough to follow fashion.

The samba shoe itself rose to popularity in 2022 when famous celebrities such as Bella Hadid were seen sporting them. The hashtag #AdidasSamba on TikTok has now surpassed 1.7 billion. But a shoe that's popularity was borne of being spotted on all the right models and influencers, now has to withstand being seen on one of the least fashionable politicians of 2024.

Social media wasted no time in picking up on it with comments flooding TikTok on videos posted about it. Heather Marie Andrew said: “I almost bought a pair before I saw this Tik Tok.”

Other users were quick to suggest a potential conspiracy from rival brands such as Puma, sending him these shoes to ensure no one bought them ever again. “Someone from Louis Voutton sent a Jersey Shore cast member a Gucci bag just to get her to stop wearing Louis Voutton once. I suggest Puma did the same,” joked TikTok user Jake Posner.

In an interview with LBC Radio Sunak said: “In my defence, I would say I have been wearing Adidas trainers and Sambas and others in fact for many, many years.”

He went on to explain that he had received his first pair as a Christmas present from his brother and never looked back since. “I offer a fulsome apology to the Samba community,” he bantered.

But why is a man with the impressive title of Prime Minister wearing adidas sambas just so offensive? The issue is that a trainer loved by so many normal, ‘working class’ people has now been taken by someone who stands so obviously against that, creating a jarring dichotomy for many of the wearers. Sunak can afford whatever shoe he likes, and still, he chooses to make a mockery of a shoe that, until last week, was cool.

UK Politicians have a knack for providing us with some of the most horrendous fashion choices in history. From David Cameron’s velcro converse to Boris Johnson's messy hair, cycling socks and even satin shorts - worn back to front. Essentially, if a PM wore it, you don’t want to be seen dead in it.

But aside from the obvious - that no Politician has ever made a break into the fashion industry - this could represent something further: Political dress has repercussions.

Boris Johnson's cultivated image of being amusing, straight talking and ‘telling it like it is’ was enhanced by his fashion choices. He always appeared rather rough and ready, and this fed into his image. Of course he could afford to get a haircut and a new pair of socks - he chose not to. The same goes for Cameron’s large suits. He could afford the most expensive tailors that money could buy, but again, he chose to appear more relatable, more ‘working class’.

In an interview with Good Morning Britain, Nigel Farage dubbed Sunak as the ‘most intelligent Prime Minister we’ve had’. So surely he is not overlooking something as valuable as fashion in such a digital, image led age.

As the richest Prime Minister, Sunak has often been accused of being out of touch with the rest of the UK.

On the YouGov political favourability ratings of  March 2024 he comes out as the least favourable Politician, second only to Liz Truss who is definitely not someone you want to be sharing the top spot with. Recent statistics have also shown that conservative party support is down to 7% in 18-24’s. (UK election polls by age 2024 | Statista )

So perhaps this fashion fail was a desperate bid to at least get noticed by the younger samba-wearing voters, to appeal more relatable, more trendy. It certainly does not look like the sparkling white shoes have been worn by him very often - and as someone as rich and powerful as Sunak, I can’t imagine there are a lot of settings where sambas would be.

The same could be said for his incessant need to declare his status as a ‘Swiftie’. Perhaps he really does love Taylor Swift, but I would imagine he loves appearing ‘cool’ and relatable to the masses a whole lot more. 

Of course these choices seem trivial and circumstantial, and maybe it gives Sunak just a bit too much credit here. His past fashion choices of palm angel pool sliders certainly point in the direction of him having a hopeless fashion sense.

But either way, his choice of shoe has sent shock waves through the fashion industry and doomed a fan favourite to a potential life of exile.