Adidas Is Bringing Bold Animal Prints to Another Classic Sneaker

After finding great success with animal prints on its Samba sneaker, Adidas is sticking with what works and applying the same safari formula to another one of its classics.

Beginning to arrive in select regions now is the Adidas Superstar II in a familiar-looking leopard print Core Black/Court Green/Gold Metallic style along with a cow print-patterned Core Black/Off White look. Like previous animal print Adidas Originals styles, both of these Superstars use a faux pony hair texture which emphasizes their jungle aesthetic. 

With its green contrast accents, the leopard print Superstar is a near one-to-one match with previous animal pattern pairs including the Samba OG, SL 72 OG and Campus 00s. It’s also not the first time Adidas has covered the Superstar in printed faux fur, as a 2020 leopard print release arrived before the trend became a full-blown frenzy.

Although she didn’t introduce the theme, designer Grace Wales Bonner is largely credited with popularizing the spotted Adidas sneakers. In particular, a 2023 leopard print Samba became one of the Wales Bonner x Adidas collaboration’s most valuable styles on the resale market. 

The Herzogenaurach, Germany-headquartered brand then capitalized on this buzz by letting the look trickle down into its more accessible in-line options. Yet, despite increased availability, many of the animal-patterned styles have been quick to sell out at retail.

Other, more subtle animal print Adidas styles of note include an upcoming “101 Dalmatians” Samba collaboration themed after the character Penny. The brand has also shown restraint on a recent Handball Spezial, using cow print only on the shoe’s inner liner. 

The new leopard print (style code JP8165) and cow print (style code JP8164) Superstar IIs have already been released from select Adidas markets including Japan, but a stateside release has yet to be confirmed. When they do arrive, readers can expect the women’s exclusive styles to be priced at $120, a slight increase from the Superstar II’s standard pricing of $100.