adidas

adidas, also known as The Three Stripes Brand, is a German sportswear company founded in 1949 by Adolf “Adi” Dassler. With roots in track and football, it has become a global player within the sneaker industry over the past 70 years.

With influence spanning football, basketball, tennis, skateboarding, fencing, and other sports, the company’s first performance-related breakthrough occurred in 1936 within the running space. Jesse Owens famously wore Dassler’s revolutionary canvas and rubber spiked running shoe in the Summer Olympics held in Germany that year. And while Owens’ record-breaking performance at the global competition brought adidas attention, the brand hadn’t yet found its identity; the spikes didn’t feature the brand’s now-signature 3-Stripes logo. (adidas acquired this branding from Finland’s Karhu in 1952.)

The German company achieved similar attention in subsequent decades within both the basketball and tennis spaces thanks to the Superstar (1969) and Stan Smith (1973), respectively. Other made-for-sports models like the adidas Top Ten (1979) and adidas Forum (1984) similarly became lifestyle staples in New York, Boston, Chicago, and other cities. adidas’ Superstar became the unofficial shoe of hip-hop in the 1980s largely due to RUN DMC’s superstardom. (The shell-toe was the best-selling sneaker in North America in 2016.) While less popular stateside, running silhouettes like the SL 72 (1972) and ZX 500 (1984) boast devoted fans of trainers across Europe and Asia. These silhouettes have experienced resurgences throughout the decades, and are now offered under the adidas Originals banner.

Recent years have seen 3-Stripes-branded sneakers soar in popularity, in large part because of the Kanye West led Yeezy sub-label and UltraBOOST, as well as BOOST and adidas 4D cushioning. The German company has also pioneered high-fashion collaborations, hosting Yohji Yamamoto’s Y-3 imprint since 2003. In 2020, classic silhouettes were reimagined by Prada and Craig Green. Elsewhere, partnerships with Beyoncé’s IVY PARK, Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, Jonah Hill, Pharrell and others ensured adidas remained the global behemoth it has been for decades.

Throughout 2024, the Three Stripes will surely continue its run as a proponent of the mix between sportswear and fashion. On this end, the brand signed FEAR OF GOD‘s Jerry Lorenzo to drive the creative and business strategy of its basketball category, culminating in the release of the Fear of God Athletics adidas Basketball 1, a shoe set for plenty of releases as the year draws on. It’s also been a banner year for adidas Basketball in terms of their signature athletes, with the German giant releasing Anthony Edwards’ AE1 & James Harden Vol. 8, while continuing a push for the Trae Young 3 and D.O.N. Issue #5.

Scroll below for the latest release dates and information on what adidas has in store for this year.

adidas

Kobe Bryant’s Hometown Colors Grace The adidas Crazy 8

Kobe Bryant’s legacy continues to inform the direction of retro adidas Basketball releases. The Three Stripes Brand brought back the adidas Crazy 8 in OG...

By Andrew Rizzo March 18, 2024
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The adidas Yeezy Boost 350 v2 “MX Rock” Releases March 18th

Is this the last ever adidas Yeezy Boost 350 v2 release? Based on adidas’ announcement regarding its plans for leftover Yeezy footwear in 2024, it...

By Andrew Rizzo March 15, 2024
1870

adidas Yeezy 500 “Stone Taupe” Releases On March 18th

As adidas is looking to offload its remaining Yeezy stock and wipe its hands clean from their once fruitful partnership with Kanye West, a flood...

By Sneaker News March 15, 2024
2784

Overkill Celebrates 20th Anniversary With What They Know Best: adidas Runners

There is no denying Overkill’s impact as a collaborative partner for adidas. Few can capture the three-stripes audience better than a German sneaker boutique can;...

By Sneaker News March 14, 2024
1347

The adidas Harden Vol 8 “Dragon Boat Festival” Is Exclusive To China

The popularity of James Harden in China has been well-reported on, and in recent years, it’s very much become a two way street. His international...

By Matt Varga March 12, 2024
4362

Where To Buy The adidas Yeezy Foam Runner “Granite”

Fans of adidas Yeezy footwear are given another chance to gobble the line’s remaining product by way of a new Foam Runner colorway in “Granite.”...

By Andrew Rizzo March 12, 2024
3168

The adidas D.O.N. Issue #6 Pivot Towards Animated “Multi-Color”

Though there’s still plenty of time left for the life cycle of the adidas D.O.N. Issue #5 , our understanding of the next steps via...

By Matt Varga March 11, 2024
848

Anthony Edwards Wears adidas AE1 Inspired By Youth Football Team

Put Anthony Edwards in any competitive setting and he’s going to thrive. That’s a claim often made by the Minnesota Timberwolves star when discussing his...

By Andrew Rizzo March 11, 2024
1606

BAIT Casts Original Ninja Turtles Movie Actors For Upcoming Superstar Drop

To mark their exclusive early launch of the Ninja Turtles x adidas Superstar, BAIT tapped the original actors from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film...

By Sneaker News March 8, 2024
3869