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

Edison Chen Joins adidas Originals; Debuts CLOT x adidas Collection At Shanghai Fashion Week SS24

Visionary. Bridge. Original. These are the words adidas Originals used on its Instagram account to describe Edison Chen, its newest creative partner. Rumors of the...

By Jovani Hernandez October 13, 2023
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Hello Kitty Prepares An adidas Superstar For The Kids

adidas recent correlation with elements of pop culture has rekindled a love for the 3-Stripes across a myriad of fandoms. From Homer Simpson’s own Stan...

By Jared Ebanks September 28, 2023
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adidas Originals Heads “Into The Metaverse” With A Special Superstar

adidas Originals has unveiled its latest NFT-inspired project: the adidas Superstar “Into the Metaverse.” Covered in an understated “Halo Blue/Core Black/Solar Yellow” color scheme, the...

By Jovani Hernandez August 14, 2023
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The Winged Dragon Of Ra Gets Its Own adidas Superstar Collaboration

In late September 2022, adidas announced a partnership with none other than Yu-Gi-Oh!, the beloved franchise created by Kazuki Takahashi. Over its first two releases,...

By Jovani Hernandez June 29, 2023
5393

Kith Classics Kicks Off Summer 2023 With adidas Originals

The Kith Classics program has reimagined a handful of adidas Originals silhouettes over the last few years. Ahead of summer, the partners have revisited the...

By Jovani Hernandez May 18, 2023
6390

Portuguese Artist Crude Designs Special Graphics And Packaging For Y2K-Inspired adidas Capsule

Fashion is a very cyclical thing, with trends coming into style as fast as they went out. And while some might look at the early...

By Michael Le May 17, 2023
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Dime Reimagines The Superstar Two Ways For Their Upcoming adidas Collaboration

Since their founding a little less than two decades ago, Dime has teamed up with several of the sneaker industry’s biggest names: New Balance, Vans,...

By Michael Le May 9, 2023
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The Marimekko x adidas SS23 Collection Begins Releasing On April 1st

Following their split from Beyonce and her IVY PARK line, adidas continues to look for compelling new collaborators to drum up conversation. Celebrated worldwide for...

By Jared Ebanks March 31, 2023
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The adidas Y-3 Superstar Surfaces In New “Unity Ink” Colorway

The Superstar is, without question, one of the Three Stripes’ most recognizable sneakers, sharing history with icons the likes of Run DMC. Even Yohji Yamamoto’s...

By Michael Le January 30, 2023
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