Dark navy leather with a crocodile emboss, finished so glossy that the light catches in every scale. On top of that sit three cream stripes with serrated edges, a chunky cream lace and a gum sole. This is the Wales Bonner x adidas Samba “Navy Croc”, style code JH9825, and retailers list the colour as Collegiate Navy.
Everyone knows the Samba by now. That is exactly why this one stands out: the silhouette is familiar, but the material behaves more like a patent loafer or a leather bag than an indoor football shoe.
Glossy navy, and a tongue braided in cream
Look at the heel in the photo for a moment and you see where the design lives. A coarse cream whipstitch runs around the heel counter, as if someone finished the seam by hand. The tongue is braided in the same cream, with gold lettering on it. Two gold eyelets sit at the top of the lacing, and the inside is lined in chocolate brown. You only see that brown when the collar opens up a little as you walk, but it makes the whole thing warmer than navy and white would ever be.
For styling, that means this is not a neutral shoe. The navy is dark enough to pass for black, but the shine pulls the eye down. So I would not pair it with anything else that shines.
Where it works: wide trousers in grey flannel or camel, with a hem that just touches the top of the foot, so the braided tongue and the cream stripes stay visible. Straight, dark jeans work too, as long as the denim is matt. Up top, a knit in ecru or oatmeal picks up the cream of the laces and stitching, or go for a long navy wool coat for a tonal look from head to toe. If you want an accent, take it from the brown lining: a belt or bag in chocolate or cognac ties the outfit to a detail most people miss.
What I would leave out: loud sporty colours and technical fabrics. They drag the shoe back towards the pitch, and the croc emboss loses its point. With a skirt it works surprisingly well, as long as the fabric has some weight: denim, wool or heavy cotton. A white sock just showing above the shoe finishes it off.
From around 262 euros, but only in the smallest size
On Solezilla.com this Samba currently has eleven listings in euros and one in pounds, and all of them come from resale and curated platforms rather than regular adidas retail. Most of the euro offers sit between 262 and 389 euros: Sneaker Ask from 261.95 euros, StockX at 282 euros, Geturbrick at 315 euros, SneakerClassics at 339.95 euros and Collect District at 389 euros. Above that it climbs quickly, with Stadium Goods at around 595 euros and Farfetch above 900 euros. One listing at 128 euros sits so far below the rest that I would check the size and condition before treating it as a starting price.
For UK buyers there is one listing in pounds right now, StockX UK at £181. There are no US-dollar listings at the moment, so buyers in the US are looking at the euro offers and should factor in shipping and import costs.
If you have small feet, this is the interesting part. That 261.95 euros at Sneaker Ask applies to EU size 35.5. At the same shop, EU 36 already costs just over 400 euros, EU 38 just over 600, EU 42 just over 800, and above EU 45 it climbs past 2,000 euros. The cheapest price in an overview mostly tells you something about the smallest size here. If you wear a 35.5, you are in luck; if you wear a 43, expect a very different number.
The Samba “Navy Croc” sits at a Hypescore of 81, in the ATOMIC phase, the top of the scale. That matches what the prices show: there is demand, and very little supply in the common sizes.
If you would rather have a Samba without the resale premium, the overview of all adidas Samba colourways puts the other versions and their prices side by side. And if it has to be this one: compare by size, not by starting price. The sneaker page lines up the shops, and from there you click through to the price in your size.