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.
Shopping Links
adidas
adidas’ “Cosmic Way Runners” Collection Expands With The Supernova Cushion 7
Since its inception, adidas has been obsessed with the future of sport. Although the German institution surely has several projects “under wraps,” it’s shared its...
adidas And Kawasaki Continue Partnership With The ZX22
Before BOOST and 4D cushioning solutions, adidas introduced Torsion stability via its ZX line in the mid-1980s. Recently, the German sportswear behemoth tapped the Japanese...
The adidas adilicious Series Visits Mexico City’s Taquería Orinoco For A Special Forum Low
Although frequented by tourists, Taquería Orinoco in Mexico City is far from being a tourist trap. Foreigners and locals alike wait eagerly in line at...
Palace Revisits Archival Pieces From adidas Y-3 For “20 Year: Recoded” Collaboration
Before the union between sport, streetwear and high fashion was commonplace, Yohji Yamamoto and adidas were redefining collaboration with Y-3. Two decades later, the partnership...
adidas’ Dia De Muertos Collection Features The Hyperturf In Looks Inspired By Mole And Pink Sugar Skulls
Over the last handful of years, some of the biggest players in the sneaker space have prepped Día de Muertos collections alongside capsuled dedicated to...
END. And adidas Originals Join Forces Again On A Forum “Varsity” Collection
Having debuted in 1984, the adidas Forum was engineered to meet the needs of the best basketball players at the time. In addition to assisting...
Liam Gallagher Joins Forces With adidas Spezial Again For The LG2 SPZL
Recognized as one of the most iconic frontmen in music history, Liam Gallagher needs no introduction. In addition to being one of Britain’s most unapologetic...
Noah Turns To Canvas For Its adidas Adria Collaboration
New York City’s Noah and adidas Originals have been collaborating for only two years, but that’ve quickly garnered a cult-like following in that span of...
Sean Wotherspoon Teases His Own adidas Gazelle Collaboration
Sean Wotherspoon has kept relatively quiet over the past six months, at least in relation to his adidas partnership. Recently, the Round Two purveyor took...