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.
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adidas
adidas Running Is The Perfect First Time Half-Marathon Companion
Running may be the simplest sport, but it’s arguably the most fulfilling. Whether you’re covering one kilometer or 26.2 miles, you’re only ever competing with...
The adidas Adizero Prime X Strung Is Now Available In Clean “Cloud White”
As the weather permits more outdoor runs across the East Coast, models like the adidas Adizero Prime X Strung seem more appealing. Recently, the super-cushioned...
The adidas Y-3 Qisan Knit Returns In A Classic “Black/White” Finish
The adidas Y-3 line seemingly hasn’t benefitted from the rise in popularity of high-end sportswear collaborations, but the line continues to produce products. Case in...
The adidas UltraBOOST Boasts A Low Carbon Footprint
Recently unveiled in its lightest construction ever, the adidas UltraBOOST is celebrating the iconic cushioning system’s 10th anniversary in a myriad of fashions. From glow-in-the-dark...
adidas Y-3 Renders The Qisan In A Fully Knit Upper
Standing at the pinnacle of fusing sport and high fashion, adidas Y-3 sub-label has begun to blur its intense design language with the casual aesthetics...
“Off White” Hues Consume The adidas Y-3 Runner 4D Halo
Debuting on the runway at Paris Fashion Week in 2002, Yohji Yamamoto and adidas have since pushed and experimented with the envelope of innovation and...
The adidas Samba Appears With Vac-Molded Suede Uppers
As adidas’ longest-running silhouette in production, the Samba continues to invoke nostalgia at the hands of a bevy of collaborators and thematic collections. While its...
adidas Y-3’s Newest $600 Innovation, The Itogo, Features An Interchangeable Midsole
adidas Y-3 is already known to be expensive, purveying sneakers often over triple the price of their mainline counterparts. But as they usher in their...
The adidas EQT CSG 91 Trades Classic Green For Blue And Red Flair In “Pre-Loved Grey” Duo
The adidas EQT CSG 91 isn’t the brand’s premier performance model anymore, but it continues to ooze heritage. Outside of the silhouette’s Consortium efforts, it’s...