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

The adidas Samba Millennium Resurfaces In Classic Black And White Treatments

The adidas Samba has been one of the sneaker community’s most favored daily drivers since its inception, currently trending once more thanks to a slew...

By Andrew Rizzo March 6, 2024
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JJJJound Officially Announces adidas Originals Partnership With Samba Collaboration

JJJJound, the Montreal-based chieftains of minimalism, have announced an upcoming partnership with adidas and the trendy Samba silhouette for Spring/Summer 2024. News of this partnership...

By Sneaker News March 6, 2024
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Where To Buy The adidas AE1 “Velocity Blue”

The adidas AE1 “Velocity Blue” drops tomorrow, March 15th, 2024 at 10AM via adidas.com. The newest edition is slated to arrive in both grade school...

By Matt Varga March 5, 2024
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Graffiti Graphics Underline the adidas Trae Young 3 “Spraypaint Pack”

The adidas Trae Young 3 over its seven months as a focal point of adidas Basketball, has tipped off a few patterns that crop up...

By Matt Varga March 4, 2024
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Where To Buy The adidas Yeezy Slide “Dark Onyx”

The “Dark Onyx” adidas Yeezy Slide will be released via raffle on the adidas CONFIRMED app, with the deadline for entries set at 10:00 EST...

By Andrew Rizzo March 4, 2024
5927

“Halo Blue” Graces The adidas Ultraboost 1.0

The adidas Ultraboost was once the hottest shoe on the market, beloved for its premium comfort and exclusive, hard-to-get status in tandem with peak adidas...

By Andrew Rizzo March 3, 2024
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The adidas Dame 8 EXTPLY Presses On In “Hazy Copper”

While the newly unveiled adidas Dame 9 took reign of Damian Lillard’s numbered shoe line at NBA All-Star Weekend, the EXTPLY Dame 8 remains atop...

By Andrew Rizzo March 2, 2024
361

The adidas Harden Vol. 8 Rolls On In “Luxury Green”

The Harden Vol 8 tipped its hand early in its initial promo photos, revealing not one, not two, but all six of the first colorways...

By Matt Varga March 1, 2024
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The adidas Samba Presents Three Essential Colorways For Spring

Recent collaborations, most notably with Wales Bonner, have injected new life into the adidas Samba. The adidas Original has made significant inroads within the world’s...

By Andrew Rizzo March 1, 2024
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