MERCEDES BENZ QUILTS THE SAMBA OG IN S CLASS DIAMONDS

The adidas Samba OG x Mercedes Benz goes on sale October 13, 2026, online and in selected adidas stores, in three colorways: Magic Beige, Grey Five and Black. It is closer to a handshake than a product launch: the October 1 joint press release calls it the beginning of a strategic partnership, and the German outlet MBpassion noted the next day that the release gives no price, no edition size and no materials. The date is also staging, because on October 13 the three S Class sedans on the 140 Years. 140 Places. tour stop at adidas headquarters in Herzogenaurach.

Diamond Quilting From the S Class, Colors From the W201

The upper carries diamond stitching that Mercedes Benz says reflects the stitching inside the S Class, and each of the three colorways is tonal, with the midsole matching the upper, according to Gear Patrol and Sneakerjagers. Dupont Registry reports that the palette references finishes and upholstery on early W201 models, the boxy 190 series of the 1980s, and Vrum's photo caption shows the collection posed with a Mercedes Benz 190 E.

The branding is quiet. A silver three pointed star sits on the tongue, and Captain Creps and Gear Patrol both report that small metal Mercedes Benz plates replace the usual Samba lettering. Gear Patrol reports that the insole reads 140 YEARS OF INNOVATION, and Dupont Registry describes a commemorative insole marking the anniversary. The Samba itself dates to 1949, when Adi Dassler designed it for players training on icy ground, per the Adidas Samba entry on Wikipedia, and Carz Automedia notes the silhouette is unchanged here.

The materials are where the record splits. Mercedes Benz's January 29, 2026 press release, issued at the S Class world premiere in Stuttgart, described a shoe combining leather and structured textiles that evoke Mercedes Benz interiors, with a launch planned for the end of 2026. The October coverage from Gear Patrol and Captain Creps describes a quilted, grained leather upper instead, and the October 1 release specifies no materials at all.

adidas Put Its Motorsport Category GM on the Release

The adidas executive quoted in the October 1 release is Michael Batz, Motorsport Category GM, and the Mercedes Benz voice is Christina Schenck, Vice President Digital & Communications and Investor Relations at Mercedes Benz AG. Batz said it was "a great privilege to collaborate with such an enduring and renowned brand" as Mercedes Benz, adding that the design celebrates the two companies' shared passion for innovation, craftsmanship and style.

adidas already outfits the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 team under a multi year deal announced January 7, 2025, covering apparel, footwear and accessories for the team and its fans. Dupont Registry reports that adidas did not take visual cues from that partnership and went into the Mercedes Benz archive instead, while Gear Patrol calls the Samba the first product between the two brands outside Formula 1.

Verdy Got the Cars on September 12, adidas Gets the Upholstery on October 13

Mercedes Benz STUDIO TOKYO in Omotesando opened a Verdy capsule on September 12, 2026, with his Vick character wrapped on a new CLA and his Visty character on a G Class, running through September 27. Those two wraps lent Mercedes Benz cars to an artist; the Samba does the reverse and lends the S Class seat pattern to a sneaker brand, which puts two streetwear facing Mercedes Benz projects 31 days apart.

It is also a different kind of Samba move from the ones adidas ran earlier this year. CLOT's Samba Espadrille, released May 2, 2026 under style code KJ0274, swapped the rubber midsole for a woven raffia espadrille sole and followed with three more colorways on June 18, each at 140 dollars. The Mercedes pair keeps the Samba OG shape and changes only the surface of the upper, the hardware and the branding, the same archive silhouette plus outside name formula adidas has run since Wales Bonner, Pharrell Williams and Bad Bunny put their names on the Samba in 2023.

Planned at 50,000 Kilometers, Reported at Nearly 65,000

The three S Class sedans, named Bertha, Carl and Gottlieb, have covered nearly 65,000 kilometers across six continents, according to the October 1 release. The January 29 press release that announced the sneaker had set the journey at more than 50,000 kilometers, so the cars have already driven well beyond that plan with Herzogenaurach on October 13 and the Stuttgart finale on October 17 still ahead.

The sneaker and the tour were announced in the same January 29 press release, and the shoe ships on the day the tour reaches the home of its partner.

Price, Edition Size and Materials Are Still Unconfirmed

As of the October 1 release, Mercedes Benz has published no price, no edition size and no material specification for the shoe, saying only that the edition is limited. The one price in circulation is HK$999, about $127, on adidas's Hong Kong site according to Gear Patrol, while Sneakerjagers notes that no European retail price has been confirmed.

MBpassion's Markus Jordan argued on October 2 that the release uses the word innovation repeatedly without naming an innovation, and he questioned whether the diamond pattern on the upper is actually sewn or only embossed. The confirmed record is one date, October 13, and one pledge, a strategic partnership with more projects to come; the open questions are the price and whether the diamonds are stitched or pressed.