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
adidas Originals Delivers The NMD R1 In Icey Pink And Clear Mint
Although its popularity is nowhere near the level it was once reached when first debuted in 2015, the adidas NMD still remains one of the...
First Look At The adidas Superstar For Pride Month 2020
Amid delays of its ultra-premium collaboration with Prada, the adidas Superstar is ahead of schedule with its nod to Pride Month 2020. A triple-“Footwear White”...
The adidas ZX 2K 4D Appears In A Stark “Core Black”
Whenever the The Brand With Three Stripes introduces a new silhouette to the world, the German-based sportswear imprint tends to always design a traditional “Core...
Duo Of adidas Ultra Boost DNA Parley Colorways Drops On June 29th
Although adidas has been largely focused on the Superstar‘s 50th Anniversary, it’s ensured to celebrate its (arguably) modern-bread-and-butter’s 5th Anniversary: The Ultra Boost. And while...
First Look At The adidas Yeezy Quantum “Barium”
After the Yeezy Quantum gives its basketball rendition a more widespread delivery next month, the Kanye West-designed silhouette will gear up to further extend its...
The adidas Yeezy Boost 350 v2 “Zyon” Is Releasing In July
Operating well within the comfort of their signature color palette, adidas Yeezy has brought up a new range of Yeezy Boost 350 v2s that effectively...
The adidas Superstar Pure Gets Parisian Updates
Taking a break from the dozens of animated releases already under its belt this year, the adidas Superstar adds a minimalist nod to Paris to...
adidas Yeezy 500 High “Tyrian” Releasing On May 16th
The adidas Yeezy 500 High has been non-existent from Kanye West‘s $1.3 billion sub label since its “Slate” debut in December, but it’s recently emerged...
Detailed Look At The adidas Yeezy Boost 350 v2 “Carbon”
All black has been something of a rare but effective tool for adidas Yeezy — their seldom use of the color scheme making it all...