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

Yara Shahidi’s adidas Originals Capsule Includes A Superstar

Yara Shahidi has gone from showing enthusiasm over Beyoncé’s IVY PARK x adidas first collection to launching her own collaborative capsule with the Three Stripes...

By Jovani Hernandez May 13, 2021
2545

Off White And Coral Accents Appear On This Women’s adidas ZX4000

Although it’s been used as the top half of the adidas ZX4000 4D recently, the adidas ZX4000 has also continued to release in more traditionally-styled...

By Ross Dwyer July 7, 2019
1649

Rose Gold Accents Appear On The adidas Nite Jogger

The adidas Nite Jogger is a shoe that’s all about seeing/being seen, and it’s now arrived to market in a women’s-only makeup that combines several...

By Ross Dwyer June 8, 2019
6461

adidas Originals Adds Zipper Enclosure To The Popular Falcon Model

The adidas Falcon has been a huge part of the Trefoil Brand’s women’s lifestyle push since it debuted last year, and as it enters its...

By Ross Dwyer May 24, 2019
6352

The adidas FYW S-97 Arrives In A Trifecta Of New Colorways

An updated take on the adidas Salvation from 1997, the adidas FYW S-97 offers an interesting modern-day makeover of a highly regarded Three Stripes silhouette,...

By Ross Dwyer April 2, 2019
3398

This Patent Leather adidas Stan Smith Is Perfect For Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is all about giving love, even if you don’t receive any in return. Thankfully, the Three Stripes is reciprocating plenty of love this...

By Ross Dwyer February 4, 2019
8749

The adidas Falcon Appears In Hot Pink Sequins

Although it’s been at the forefront of the Trefoil Brand’s ladies lifestyle offerings in 2018, the adidas Falcon isn’t a shoe that offers a wide...

By Ross Dwyer November 20, 2018
5647

adidas Originals Debuts The Women’s Exclusive Samba Rose

The iconic adidas Samba: a legendary indoor soccer silhouette that originally released in 1950 and has since become a street-style favorite. Now, 68 years later, the...

By Ross Dwyer June 2, 2018
21916

The adidas EQT Support ADV Arrives In Soft Neons

The classic EQT Support is one of the most versatile silhouettes in the adidas lineup, and it’s arrived in two new women’s colorways, both featuring...

By Ross Dwyer May 1, 2018
4865