We've been aware of Samsara shoes for sometime now, mainly through their excellent Samsara Community Instagram feed. When we learnt they would be at Paris Fashion week (January 2026) we jumped at the chance to come through and meet the guys behind the brand. We really love the shape the Samsara Dharma shoe in all its iterations. Personally it gives me vintage NIke ACG vibes from the back catalog, Diemme too. But its still it's 'own' shape and feel. Throw in the the sustainable credentials and European build and its a really interesting outdoor and city shoe that demands your attention.
We caught up with Adrià García, Samsara's Founder & Creative Director for a chat about the brand's beginnings, design inspiration and how the shoe is constructed.
1. The name Samsara comes from Sanskrit and means an eternal cycle. That's a weighty starting point for a footwear brand. Where did that idea come from, and what were you trying to say about the kind of brand you wanted to build?
For me, it’s closely related to Cradle to Cradle, a key concept in product design. I trained as a designer, and that way of thinking, understanding a product from the moment it’s created to the moment it ends and begins again, has always been important.
It connects with the idea of Samsara in life: every action has a reaction, everything is linked.
That naturally shaped how we approached the brand. We didn’t want to create something quick or disposable, but something that evolves over time, step by step.
2. You grew up in Barcelona, a city you describe as a mix of sea, mountains, architecture and culture. How much does that environment actually show up in the design of the shoes themselves?
Barcelona is a big part of how we see things.
I’ve never really moved away from the city, so I feel very connected to it. You have the sea, the mountains, architecture, culture, food... everything is very close and constantly present.
That balance naturally shows up in the design. Our shoes are made to move between those environments, not too technical, not too formal, something that feels right both in the city and outside of it.
3. The whole collection is built around one silhouette, the Dharma, in multiple material variations. Was that a deliberate choice to go deep on one design rather than wide across multiple styles? And what does it take to get a single shoe right?
It was a very deliberate decision.
From the beginning, we wanted to be recognised for something, to have a clear, key silhouette. It also made sense from a production point of view. Developing new shapes and soles comes with high costs, so focusing on one allows us to do things properly.
We worked on refining the Dharma over time, and even though it’s still a young shoe, it already feels quite established, almost like a timeless silhouette.
We are starting to expand the range now, but always keeping the same essence: hemp, natural dye, PALMERA. And this summer, we’ll introduce a few surprises as well.
4. Hemp, PALMERA, NatureDye, mineral dyeing. These aren't just sustainability buzzwords for Samsara, they're trademarked processes. Can you walk us through how you actually source and develop those materials, and how long that process took?
All of our materials come from Europe, mostly from Spain, especially around Alicante. Keeping things close is important to us. It gives us more control, trust, and a closer relationship with the people behind the materials.
Even though these processes can seem slow, we’ve been able to work with suppliers who have been developing and refining these techniques for years, so they’ve found ways to make them more efficient.
That said, some materials still take time by nature. For example, with PALMERA, from the moment the leaves are collected to the final textile, it can take up to six months. The leaves spend around three to four months drying under the sun in Alicante before being processed further.
It’s a balance between working with natural rhythms and making them viable for production.
5. You chose Portugal to manufacture the shoes. What does ethical production actually look like in practice on the factory floor, and what did you have to turn down or compromise on to stay true to that?
To be honest, I feel very lucky to be working with our factory in Portugal.
We have a very close relationship. We spend time together beyond work, having lunch or dinner with the owners and some of the team. We have direct communication, the same working hours, and we visit the factory almost every month. That proximity is very important for us.
But getting here wasn’t easy.
Before this, we went through three different factories. For different reasons, things didn’t work out. It’s not easy starting as a small brand in an industry dominated by much larger companies.
It takes patience, persistence, and finding people who truly understand how you want to work.
6. You release in numbered Harvests rather than seasons. Where did that idea come from, and does it change the way people actually buy and relate to the shoes compared to a traditional seasonal model?
It comes from our connection to the materials we work with.
They’re natural materials, and they take time to be produced. We felt it made sense to stay aligned with that rhythm rather than forcing ourselves into a traditional seasonal calendar.
That’s how the idea of Harvest came in. Our online releases happen through pre-orders, and they take time, a bit like cooking, the good things take time.
Now that we’ve entered B2B, things shift slightly because you have stock available, but we still try to stay true to that way of working and thinking.
7. Samsara describes itself as a community project, not just a brand. What does that actually mean in day-to-day terms? Who is that community and how do they shape what you make?
For us, community is about creating moments that bring people closer, to each other and to nature.
Samsara was never meant to exist only online. It’s about encouraging people to go outside, to move, to disconnect a bit from the city while still being part of it. That duality is also present in the product, something that can live between city and mountain.
We try to create safe and creative spaces where people can come together, walk, test the shoes, share time and experiences. It’s not about perfection, but about being part of the process.
That connection, with nature, with movement, with others, is what really shapes what we do.
8. You're now on Harvest N.3. Where does Samsara go from here? Is the plan to stay tight and focused on one silhouette, or are there other ideas you're ready to talk about?
As I mentioned before, we’re starting to open up new ideas, slowly.
We’ll always stay close to the essence of Dharma, but there are other directions coming. This summer, for example, we’re introducing something more seasonal, shoes we’ve all grown up wearing around the Mediterranean, something that really represents where we come from.
And back in January we presented a boot that we’re very excited about. It’s still in development, but we’re looking forward to bringing it out.
So yes, we’re expanding, but always in a way that feels natural to us.
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