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
Kyle Broflovski’s South Park x adidas Superstar Mirrors The Redhead’s Signature Outfit
Following the success of their Towelie-themed Campus 80, South Park and adidas are teaming up once again for a larger body of offerings. Exactly a...
Marimekko’s Poppy Print Appears On The adidas Superstar
With their previous adidas collection, Marimekko put an emphasis on print-making, adding patterns to silhouettes like the UltraBOOST DNA, the Stan Smith, Forum Lo, and...
Mark “Gonz” Gonzales Covers The adidas Superstar ADV With His Schmoo Birds
For years now, Mark Gonzales — better known as the “Gonz” — has fostered a collaboration with adidas Skateboarding. And after dressing up the Aloha...
atmos And adidas Unleash A Hairy adidas Superstar To Honor Shibuya’s Loyal Dog, Hachiko
adidas and atmos are no strangers when it comes to partnerships, with the latter often infusing Japanese flair to classic Three-Stripes silhouettes. For an upcoming...
Las Vegas Raiders’ Henry Ruggs Gives The adidas Superstar A “Bold Blue” Makeover
The adidas Superstar has kept a relatively low profile following an important 50th anniversary last year, but Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver, Henry Ruggs III,...
NEIGHBORHOOD To Release Their adidas Superstar 80s Exclusively In Japan
After a very brief departure to Anaheim, Japan’s NEIGHBORHOOD is back in adidas’ corner. This weekend, the two will bring back the basics, offering two...
Kerwin Frost’s “Superstuffed” adidas Superstar Is Inspired By Clowns And Mascots
Kerwin Frost is no doubt an enigma — creative in the strangest, most captivating of ways, while at the same maintaining a lovable absurdity. His...
Sean Wotherspoon Confirms Release Of His adidas Superstar SUPEREARTH In “Core Black”
No longer just a purveyor at the institution that Round Two has solidified itself as, Sean Wotherspoon now touts himself as an “American Designer.” And...
KITH Classics Unveils Full adidas Originals 2021 Capsule
Having recently announced its latest collaboration with adidas via a lookbook starring Adrian Grenier, KITH has just unveiled the six sneakers that make up its...