2016 to 2026: Superstars to Sambas

Ask students what the must-have shoe was in middle school, and most don’t hesitate. “Jordans,” several say almost immediately. For Carlos Camacho-Lope ’27, it was specific. “Jordan fours,” he said. “Those were everywhere in 2020.” Anoa Dawson ’28 remembers the same era, saying that Jordans were “the first popular shoes” she owned in middle school.

Others trace their timeline back even further.“A pair of black Converse,” said Lina Elwood ’28. “I wanted them because a girl I thought had really good style wore it.” Roselyn Shen ’27 also started with Converse. “They were my first pair of shoes that felt fashionable,” she said, “I’m a big fan of shoes in general.” 

The reasons for buying them vary. Sometimes it is admiration. Sometimes visibility. Sometimes it is simply to fit in. “I definitely think peer pressure plays a role,” Vivian Zhong ’27 said. “Some people buy shoes only to catch up.” Others describe the pressure as more subtle. “I’ve never felt pressured to buy shoes,” Camacho-Lopez said, “but I’ve seen cases where people buy certain shoes solely because of peer pressure.” Julius Cafiso ’27 remembers how quickly perception could shift. After owning Air Force 1s, he felt unsure about wearing them “after hearing stereotypes attached to it.” Still, he said, “the coolest shoes to have in middle school were Air Jordans.” 

Students describe the life cycle of a popular sneaker almost like a formula: it appears in a few outfits, spreads across social feeds, multiplies in new colors, then suddenly seems to be everywhere. If middle school trends once spread through lunch tables and locker rooms, newer ones spread through screens. Andie Hendley ’27 points to “Get Ready With Me” videos as a major influence. “When you see someone styling an outfit from start to finish, the shoes suddenly feel like a big part of the whole look,” she said. “If a creator casually throws on a pair of sneakers and makes them look stunning, it makes you think, ‘Wait, I kind of need those.’” Sophia Li ’28 sees it as a combination of sources. “Tiktok and friends both influence what people buy,” she said. “When you see something is popular, you might feel more inclined to like it and purchase it, partly to fit in and partly because you actually start to like it.” She continues to claim that “Sambas are currently the popular shoe, my sister has two pairs,” she said. 

What makes online influence powerful, Shen adds, is “how natural, personal, and relatable, like you’re getting ready with a friend.” That relatability accelerates the cycle. When trends become “overworn,” Dawson said, students quickly navigate to another.  “We move from one shoe-of-the-year to another so quickly,” she said. “Then, when new trends popularize thanks to social media.” Jayda Robik ‘26 frames it more broadly. “That’s just simply how microtrends and consumerism work,” she said. “They’re meant to keep you coming back and wanting more and more.” Camacho-Lopez connects the speed of social media directly to visibility. “I think people buy trendy shoes because of influencers and people’s role models,” he said. “When trends change, people either sell their shoes or just abandon them in their closet.” 

Sometimes, they shift categories entirely. “A few of the trendy shoes that I bought became ‘work-shoes’ that I only wear for yard work,” Elwood said. For now, Sambas have taken their place in the rotation. Like the Superstars, Jordans, Air Force 1s, Converse, Golden Gooses, and UGG boots before them, they followed a familiar arc: early adopters, rapid spread, peak saturation. 

Ten years ago, a single pair of sneakers could “carry you through the entire middle school,” Betty Yang ‘30 said. Now, the cycle spins so quickly that today’s Sambas may be tomorrow’s yard-work shoes. In an era shaped by microtrends and social media influence, the “it” snake is less about durability and more about momentum, and somewhere on Tiktok, the next pair is already waiting.