Wait, Are Those S-Class Seats On The New adidas Samba?

No, Mercedes-Benz hasn't chopped up an S-Class interior and wrapped it around a pair of sneakers.

But look closely at the new adidas Samba OG x Mercedes-Benz, and you'll probably understand why we had to ask.

Mercedes-Benz and adidas have teamed up for a limited-edition take on the Samba OG, and instead of simply stamping a three-pointed star onto one of the world's most recognisable sneakers and calling it a day, they've borrowed a rather familiar detail from the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

Yep, we're talking about the seats.

The giveaway is the diamond-pattern stitching across the upper.

According to Mercedes-Benz, the design reflects the diamond stitching found inside the S-Class, bringing a little bit of flagship-luxury-car detailing to a sneaker that originally found fame on the football pitch.

The Mercedes-Benz logo then appears across the tongue, but otherwise, things have been kept surprisingly restrained.

That's probably a good thing.

Car-branded sneakers can go wrong very quickly. Make the logo too big, add too many badges and suddenly you're wearing something that looks less like a proper sneaker collaboration and more like merchandise from the dealership gift shop.

This one takes the quieter route.

The Samba will be offered in three monochromatic colourways: Magic Beige, Grey Five and Black.

No Petronas turquoise stripes. No enormous three-pointed stars running down the side. No attempt to make your feet look like an AMG GT.

Instead, the Mercedes influence mostly comes through the detailing and material treatment, while the recognisable Samba silhouette remains intact.

And honestly? That's probably why it works.

The Samba has spent decades evolving from a football shoe into a fashion staple, so radically redesigning it just to make the Mercedes connection more obvious would almost defeat the point.

Mercedes-Benz describes the collaboration as bringing together the Samba's heritage with the innovation, craftsmanship and design associated with both brands.

Corporate wording aside, the idea is fairly simple: make it look like a Samba first and a Mercedes collaboration second.

There's a bigger reason Mercedes-Benz is doing this now.

The collaboration forms part of the automaker's "140 Years of Innovation" anniversary year, marking 140 years since Carl Benz filed the patent for the first automobile in 1886.

And apparently, the Samba is only the beginning.

Mercedes-Benz says this launch marks the start of a strategic partnership with adidas, with more projects and collaborations planned for the future.

So don't be surprised if the three-pointed star starts appearing elsewhere in the adidas catalogue after this.

Whether that eventually means more sneakers, apparel, motorsport-related pieces or something completely different hasn't been detailed yet.

For now, we get Sambas.

The adidas Samba OG x Mercedes-Benz goes on sale from Oct 13, with Mercedes-Benz saying it'll be available online and through selected adidas stores.

There is one catch for Malaysian sneakerheads, though.

So while Oct 13 is the confirmed release date, we wouldn't start queueing outside nearest adidas store just yet.

We'll have to wait and see whether Malaysia gets an official allocation and, perhaps more importantly, how much Mercedes-Benz luxury is going to cost when it's measured by shoe size instead of wheelbase.

Still, as far as automotive fashion collaborations go, this is a pretty neat one.

It's recognisably a Samba, recognisably Mercedes-Benz once you know where to look, and you don't need an S-Class parked downstairs to pull it off.