The new Adidas iterations swap animal leather for vegan materials.

Sportswear giant Adidas has launched two Sambas inspired by Disney’s most iconic characters — Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse.

The latest iterations are in collaboration with Disney, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

Both shoes are made using vegan materials. The Mickey version features a white leather upper, and the heel sports half a heart shape made by Mickey’s hand. His face and the Adidas logo appear on the tongue. Additionally, the sides include Samba branding.

The Minnie version also features an all-white vegan leather upper. The Three Stripes on the sides have a hint of pinkish-red colour, and the same colour is also visible on the tongue. In addition, Minnie’s gloved hand, accented by her polka-dotted bows, forms half a heart shape on either side of the heel.

Vegan Adidas

Over the years, Adidas has steadily increased its use of recycled materials after revealing plans to ‘move closer toward its objective to end plastic waste’.

It is one of the few sportswear companies that has released a number of vegan shoe models in recent times. Moreover, its long-term collaboration with vegan fashion designer Stella McCartney has paved the way for a whole range of cruelty free, high-performing, and sustainable performance wear.

Its most popular vegan shoes include: Alphaedge 4D, Ultraboost, Stella McCartney Stan Smith, Pureboost, Adilette Slides, and Parley for women; Ultraboost, Parley, Denim Daily Sneaker 2.0, Questar Flow, Adilette Slides, and Terrex Tracerocker for men.

Adidas still uses kangaroo leather

Despipte the many vegan iterations, Adidas still uses kangaroo leather in its supply chain. The popular sportswear brand is facing increasing pressure to stop using animal leather after competitors Puma and Nike pledged to switch to using more sustainable synthetic materials in their premium football lines.

Last month, Nike announced that going forward, its popular Tiempo range will use alternative synthetic fabrics, similarly to Puma, which will incorporate a new synthetic material that offers “a better performance solution and replaces the use of kangaroo leather.” 

Both of these brands are the latest to join a growing community of kangaroo-free leather proponents, including Chanel, Gucci, and Prada.

While top brands are moving away from leather, Adidas has yet to make such an announcement. In fact, it appears to be increasing its reliance on the material, as the brand has confirmed its use of kangaroo leather through 2024.

The Disney x Adidas Samba Vegan “Mickey and Minnie Mouse” will launch on 25 April at 11 p.m. BST in the UK for £85. They will be available in the US starting April 27 at 3 a.m. EDT for $100.

• Read: Reebok partners Milk Makeup to launch limited-edition apparel and vegan shoes

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Mohsina Dodhiya

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