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
The adidas UltraBOOST 1.0 DNA “ZX Collection” To Get An Early Exclusive-Drop At Packer
Throughout the last year, adidas Originals has brought notable, long-overdue attention to its Torsion-backed ZX line that debuted in the 1980s. Among collaborative takes on...
adidas Yeezy Slides “Pure” Set To Return December 13th
Kanye West’s adidas Yeezy unit has seemingly gotten a fire lit under it as it’s taken control of the mainstream sneaker consciousness over the last...
Where To Buy The Eric Emanuel x adidas Forum ’84 Hi “McDonald’s All-American”
Due to COVID, McDonald’s had to cancel this year’s All-American Game. But that doesn’t mean they can’t celebrate in one form or another. A tribute...
Where To Buy The South Park x adidas Campus 80s “Towelie”
4/20 is nearly here and adidas is more than ready to celebrate. Alongside the skunk-esque ZX 420, the Three Stripes is inviting South Park’s Towelie...
Where To Buy The adidas Yeezy Boost 700 “Bright Blue”
First rumored in early November 2020, the adidas Yeezy Boost 700 “Bright Blue” finally releases on April 17th. Although preceded by a “Sun” iteration, the...
Where To Buy The Sean Wotherspoon x adidas ZX8000 SUPEREARTH
The ambition behind adidas Originals’ year-long A-ZX project reaches an apex with the release of Sean Wotherspoon’s entry into the ongoing series. Created to generate...
You Can Now Customize Your adidas UltraBOOST With LEGO Blocks
Following a highly-lauded collaboration from September, LEGO and adidas announced a long-term partnership in late October. Since then, both institutions have produced a handful of...