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
YEEZY DAY 2022 Officially Commences Tomorrow At 9AM ET
With footwear brands often creating their very own holidays — such as Nike’s Air Max Day or New Balance’s Grey Day — we sneakerheads have...
The adidas Yeezy 450 “Utility Black” Releases On August 2nd
With all the excitement surrounding Yeezy Day 2022, new releases from Ye and his Three Stripes family have been scarce, but that’s to change with...
The adidas Yeezy Foam Runner “MX Carbon” Releases On Yeezy Day 2022
With Yeezy Day 2022 fast approaching, the fictional holiday has had the bulk of its restocks and new releases revealed, with the latest arriving in...
“Onyx,” “Glow Green” And “Bone” adidas Yeezy Slides Return On July 25th
At this point, the adidas Yeezy Slide needs no introduction. As one of the most influential footwear products of recent history, the injected EVA foam...
adidas YZY BSKTBL KNIT Releasing In “Onyx” This Fall
Compared to that of the Foam Runner and 350 v2, releases of the YZY BSKTBL KNIT have been slow since its debut. But it seems...
First Look At The adidas Yeezy 700 v3 “Fade Salt”
Since its debut in December 2019, the adidas Yeezy 700 v3 has released in handfuls of colorways received with mixed feelings. For its latest ensemble,...
First Look At The adidas Yeezy Boost 350 v2 CMPCT “Slate Bone”
Despite developing new models every year, adidas Yeezy has opted to keep the Yeezy Boost 350 v2 around, lengthening its life not just by way...
First Look At The adidas Yeezy Knit Runner “Faded Azure”
Although the artist formerly known as Kanye West has singlehandedly made form-fitting knits sneakers the trendiest thing on the planet for nearly half a decade,...
Where To Buy The adidas Yeezy Boost 350 v2 “Bone”
Quite a few years ago, Ye famously promised Yeezys for everyone. And today, it’s safe to say he’s made good on his word, as releases...