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

Blondey’s Alternate Colorway Of His adidas Superstar Collaboration Is Limited To 200 Pairs

After Blondey McCoy and adidas linked up for a transparent Superstar collaboration earlier in the month, it looks as though the two parties have decided...

By Elliot Santiago December 26, 2019
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Dennis Busenitz Helps adidas Skateboarding Kick Off 2020 With The Vulc II

Still an integral part of the Three Stripes team, Dennis Busenitz, with a massive repertoire of signature silhouettes behind him, has been relatively hush throughout...

By Michael Le December 24, 2019
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Stella McCartney Transforms The adidas Ultra Boost 20

As important a piece as say Raf Simons or Yohji Yamamoto, Stella McCartney retains her slot as a permanent collaborator, ushering in vegan Stan Smiths...

By Michael Le December 19, 2019
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Ninja And adidas Are Releasing The Nite Jogger “Time In” On December 31st

Despite the overwhelming viewership of E-Sports, Twitch streams, and the like, it’s rare to see the entertainment side of the gaming industry mesh with any...

By Michael Le December 18, 2019
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Star Wars and adidas To Release An AM4 Speedfactory “The Force”

Fans of both adidas and Star Wars must be having the time of their lives given that the two entities have consistently collaborated on a...

By Jovani Hernandez December 17, 2019
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KITH And adidas Terrex Deliver Two Hikers Inspired By Jackson Hole, Wyoming

After an 8-day trip to the snowy atmosphere of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, KITH has now officially unveiled their upcoming collection with adidas Terrex. Designed equally...

By Elliot Santiago December 17, 2019
4846

adidas Broadens Futurecraft With The Pharrell Williams 4D

Though once much, much more limited, adidas Futurecraft — likely with the refinement of both process and technology — has begun to broaden its scope...

By Michael Le December 17, 2019
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Size? And Fox Brothers Bring Their Signature Details To the adidas Campus

A few months removed from participating in its last collaborative venture through the adidas MakerLab auction back in October, the Campus is back for another...

By Elliot Santiago December 12, 2019
5076

Alexander Wang And adidas Deliver Remixed Footwear For Their Sixth And Final Collaborative Capsule

As they already got their line of Yeezy releases locked down for the end of the year, adidas is turning their attention over to inline...

By Michael Le December 11, 2019
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