When global music superstar Bad Bunny announced his collaboration with adidas, sneaker culture braced itself for something disruptive. The Puerto Rican artist—known for fusing reggaeton, Latin trap, and global pop—has carried his creative vision into footwear design, sparking the birth of one of the most coveted lines in recent years: the Bad Bunny Gazelle.
Not only is this a sneaker story; it’s a cultural narrative that intertwines music, fashion, identity, and community. The Gazelle Indoor model has become more than just a shoe—it’s a walking canvas for Puerto Rican pride, urban expression, and high-profile style moments, including playful comparisons to Lionel Messi’s all-pink adidas Sambas.
In this article, we’ll dive into the hype surrounding the Bad Bunny Gazelle, its connection to Messi, the standout pink Cabo Rojo release, key release dates, future drops in 2025, and its place in the wider category of Bad Bunny shoes.
The Partnership: Bad Bunny x adidas
Bad Bunny’s collaboration with adidas has reshaped how celebrity sneaker partnerships are approached. Rather than simply attaching his name to a product, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (Bad Bunny) has infused every design with storytelling rooted in Puerto Rico’s culture, heritage, and street aesthetics.
From the Forum Buckle Low to the Campus and now the Gazelle Indoor, his adidas ventures are instantly recognizable for their layered tongues, rope laces, warped detailing, and semi-translucent soles. Each design reflects both creativity and nostalgia, balancing high fashion appeal with accessibility for everyday wear.
The Bad Bunny adidas Gazelle sits at the heart of this journey, solidifying itself as one of 2024 and 2025’s most sought-after sneakers.
Bad Bunny Gazelle Messi: A Miami Style Connection
Sneaker culture thrives on cultural references, and one of the most amusing crossovers has been the comparison between the Bad Bunny Gazelle Cabo Rojo (Pink) and Lionel Messi’s pink adidas Sambas.
Both men are cultural icons in Miami—Messi on the soccer pitch with Inter Miami, Bad Bunny through concerts and appearances. Side by side, Messi’s neon pink Sambas and Bad Bunny’s muted clay-pink Gazelles represent two sides of the adidas coin: athletic excellence and musical artistry.
Some have jokingly dubbed this pairing the “ultimate Miami bro starter pack.” Yet, beyond humor, the juxtaposition illustrates how adidas uses its global stars to dominate different lifestyle lanes. Messi and Bad Bunny together embody performance and fashion, heritage and modernity.
The Signature Pink: Bad Bunny Gazelle Cabo Rojo
Arguably the most discussed release is the Bad Bunny Gazelle Pink, officially dubbed the Cabo Rojo colorway. Inspired by the salt flats and pink waters of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, the design fuses muted clay-pink suede with warped overlays and double tongues.
This sneaker has become symbolic of Bad Bunny’s storytelling approach. The Cabo Rojo Gazelle isn’t just pink—it carries the memory of Puerto Rico’s landscapes, offering wearers a piece of cultural identity.
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Release Date: July 26, 2025 (global launch)
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Price: $140 retail
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Availability: adidas CONFIRMED app, select global retailers, and Bad Bunny’s own site.
Fans have likened the shoe to a wearable postcard from Puerto Rico. It celebrates the artist’s homeland while also appealing to global sneaker enthusiasts who crave unique, meaningful designs.
Key Release Dates: Building Anticipation
The timeline of Bad Bunny Gazelle releases showcases a carefully curated strategy:
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Core White/Gum Gazelle Indoor
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Release: September 21, 2024
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A minimalist classic with off-white tones, gum sole, and warped T-toe overlays.
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Puerto Rico City Series (2025)
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El Yunque: Green tones inspired by the rainforest.
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Santurce: Bright orange hues reflecting the arts district.
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Cabo Rojo: Muted pink clay, the most popular globally released option.
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Release: July 11, 2025 (PR exclusives), July 26 (global Cabo Rojo drop).
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Vega Baja (Late 2025, upcoming)
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Golden-yellow inspired by Bad Bunny’s hometown and mango groves. Currently seen in samples and exhibitions.
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Each release is not just about the shoe but about moments in culture, storytelling, and identity. For sneakerheads, these dates have become as important as album releases.
Bad Bunny Shoes: Expanding Beyond the Gazelle
While the Gazelle is grabbing headlines, Bad Bunny’s adidas catalog is broader:
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Forum Buckle Low: The sneaker that started it all, with futuristic straps and utilitarian design.
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Campus Cloud White: A chunky reinterpretation of the classic Campus.
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Ballerina Shoes (2025): Minimalist sneakers inspired by ballet footwear, signaling Bad Bunny’s ability to redefine gender norms in fashion.
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Futuristic Runner (Torpedo Sample): Teased on social media, suggesting the partnership is nowhere near its creative peak.
This expanding lineup reflects adidas’s trust in Bad Bunny as more than a collaborator—he’s a co-architect of their future in streetwear.
Bad Bunny Gazelle 2025: The City Series Story
The 2025 City Series takes the Gazelle from a classic sneaker into a cultural anthology. Each pair in the collection represents a piece of Puerto Rico’s geography and spirit:
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El Yunque: Evoking lush rainforest vibes with deep green tones.
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Santurce: Bold orange, capturing the vibrancy of art, music, and nightlife.
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Cabo Rojo: Pink clay landscapes, already a global favorite.
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Vega Baja (upcoming): A golden-yellow tribute to Bad Bunny’s hometown and tropical fruits.
By anchoring each shoe in Puerto Rican heritage, the line gives fans something more than sneakers—it offers wearable storytelling. The collection has been praised for simultaneously honoring local culture and reaching global markets.
Cultural Impact: Why the Gazelle Matters
The Bad Bunny Gazelle is more than hype. It represents several broader cultural themes:
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Puerto Rican Pride: Every release doubles as an homage to the island, putting its culture in the global spotlight.
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Music Meets Fashion: As one of the world’s top artists, Bad Bunny uses sneakers as an extension of his musical persona.
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Adidas Innovation: By letting Benito lead the design narrative, adidas sets itself apart from other brands that often recycle celebrity templates.
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Community Connection: Limited drops in Puerto Rico and exclusive city releases create deeper local engagement, making fans feel like co-owners of the story.
This combination explains why each Bad Bunny release sells out quickly, resells at premium prices, and garners coverage far beyond sneaker blogs—from GQ to mainstream news outlets.
Looking Ahead: What’s Next for the Gazelle Line
With the Vega Baja colorway expected in late 2025, fans speculate about further Puerto Rican city inspirations. Will adidas and Bad Bunny extend the City Series beyond Puerto Rico to explore broader Latin American themes?
Another possibility is merging the Gazelle with futuristic elements—similar to the warped soles and layered textures that have become Bad Bunny’s signature. Given adidas’s willingness to push design boundaries, a hybrid of heritage and innovation seems likely.
One thing is certain: the Gazelle has been revived for a new generation, and Bad Bunny is the torchbearer of this revival.
Conclusion
The Bad Bunny Gazelle line is not just a sneaker—it’s a cultural phenomenon that ties together music, identity, fashion, and heritage. From the pink Cabo Rojo release compared to Messi’s Sambas, to the Puerto Rico–inspired City Series of 2025, each shoe tells a story that resonates globally.
For adidas, this collaboration represents a blueprint for future partnerships: giving artists full creative freedom to embed personal and cultural narratives into iconic silhouettes. For fans, it’s a chance to own a piece of Bad Bunny’s world, one pair at a time.
As the journey of the Bad Bunny Gazelle continues into 2025 and beyond, one thing is clear—the fusion of sneakers and storytelling has never looked this good.
This article is published with love and cultural curiosity by Tumblr Magazine.
