The snoafer is nothing new. In fact, the term (a mash-up of sneaker and loafer, come on, keep up) first started popping up around 2024, when New Balance took the wraps off the 1906L. Since then, just about every single trainer brand has had a go at making one.
Adidas Handball Spezial Loafer ‘Core Black’
Adidas
But the Adidas Handball Spezial Loafer hits a little different. Because unlike a lot of the snoafers we’ve seen over the past two years, it drops the “sn” and goes straight-up loafer instead. The usual suede on a “regular” pair of Spezials has now been swapped for smooth ‘Core Black’ leather, complete with piping around the toe and a thick leather strap across the vamp. There’s a tiny metal Trefoil pin sitting around the penny slot, and the Three Stripes are decked out in ‘Cloud White’. Down south, you get the same low gum sole that’s been attached to the silhouette since the ’70s.
And the German sportswear giant couldn’t have picked a better sneaker to mess around with. The Handball Spezial has become a proper fashion boy fave over the past few years. Andrew Garfield, Paul Mescal, and Harris Dickinson have all been spotted in pairs, while collabs with Sporty & Rich and Taiwan’s Invincible have only added to the hype. Even Lionel Messi recently got his own stealthy black pair.
Adidas Handball Spezial Loafer ‘Core Black’
Adidas
So, are sportswear brands about to stop making snoafers and start making actual loafers? Well, it’s already happening. Vans now has an entire loafer section, including leather Skate Loafers with horsebit detailing, while Converse has turned both the Chuck Taylor and One Star into full-on loafers.
Maybe that’s where all of this was heading. After two years of trying to make sneakers look more like loafers, brands are realising they can just make loafers instead. And if they all look as good as this, that’s probably fine.
Adidas
Handball Spezial Loafer ‘Core Black’
The Adidas Handball Spezial Loafer ‘Core Black’ is available right now at Adidas and select stockists for £100. And considering the regular Spezial already has a permanent home on your FYP, expect to see this one there a lot too.