Milwaukee sneakerheads can wear their pride for the city – and get a Summerfest ticket on their feet – with a new release from Adidas.
Starting at 11 a.m. on 414 Day – April 11 – people can buy the special edition Adidas samba sneaker at Sneex, 1320 E. Brady St., “until they all gone,” said shoe designer Eric “Shake” James.
“One shoe has the north and the west side, and the other has the south and the east side,” James told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“We got Harambee on the shoe, Silver Spring, Timmerman Field, so it doesn’t matter what part of Milwaukee you’re from, you’re represented on the shoe and I want you to have pride when you wear that shoe,” he said.
“This is something special. It’s just for us,” James said.
The sneaker also will be available for purchase online at sneex3rdward.com.
The shoe goes for $140. It includes a special hang tag on the laces with a chip inside.
When that chip is scanned with a phone, the buyer can download a digital ticket from Summerfest and also get event notices from Visit Milwaukee.
“Milwaukee is a dope city. We don’t get the spotlight that New York and LA get,” James said. “We have great people here. We have solid communities.”
James has worked with Adidas for several years and designed two special Milwaukee sneakers in 2024 and 2025 to celebrate 414 Day.
“I just try to highlight the city and every year I try to tell better stories through the sneaker,” James said.
The collaboration between Visit Milwaukee, Adidas, Summerfest and James has been in the works for roughly a year.
“It’s a really interesting way to do destination marketing and tell a story about a place,” said Claire Koenig, vice president of communications and advocacy for Visit Milwaukee. “They’re shoes…you need them to take you places. We’re all about getting you to places, especially our place.”
“We’re trying to invite people to come experience Milwaukee and be a part of Milwaukee and live it with us,” Koenig said. “By wearing (the shoe) that lifestyle can travel.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Adidas samba celebrates Milwaukee, 414 Day–includes Summerfest ticket
Reporting by Ricardo Torres, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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