On the occasion of the 420, Adidas Originals reissues the classic yet famous Samba pair. The Samba Purple Haze is one of the Adidas sneakers inspired by the world of soccer. They make their debut in the 60s, designed for soccer practice, they have integrated only later the world of streetwear. One of the best selling pairs of Adidas sneakers worldwide, the most famous model is the black with white stripes. It is now declined in a purple velvet, color inspired by the Purple Haze. It is contrasted with touches of white on the laces, the three stripes and on the suede insert. There is the inscription “Good Vibes” on the tongue and the famous number 4-20 under the translucent sole.
The Californian origins of Purple Haze
The 420 is a real tradition of the urban culture for the cannabis counterculture. Its origins come from a band of teenagers from California called the Waldos, they used to meet at 4:20 pm every day to look for abandoned cannabis plants, according to an urban legend from the 70s. Unfortunately it was in vain, they will draw from it a code to evoke without worries their leaning.
4-20 a viral code
This term should have stayed there, never leaving this circle of friends, however the brother of one of the Waldos was friends with the bassist of the Grateful Dead, Phil Lesh. The latter seized the term and for more than 35 years used it during the tours of the group to talk about weed, which created a total hype around this “mystical” number.
In order not to deteriorate their notoriety, the Waldos did not want to be associated with 420, but faced with the sordid stories that were emerging, they had to restore the truth. Today it is a real phenomenon that is shared in many countries where cannabis consumption is legal and increasingly in other countries.
It is important to know that the day of April 20 is an anecdotal date corresponding to the 4/20 in the Anglo-Saxon countries, it was chosen for that. Became so popular, the number was used in the movie “Pulp Fiction” where some clocks show 4:20, when the law was passed to legalize cannabis for medical use it was called SB 420. And thanks to the advent of the Internet the term has spread worldwide.
by Thomas ZEGANADIN