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
Beyonce’s IVY PARK Ushers In The adidas Nite Jogger 7.0
Originally released in 1979 with its sights set on enhancing the visibility of runners at dawn and dusk, the adidas Nite Jogger has since been...
adidas Preps The UltraBOOST For Valentine’s Day 2023 With Hearts And Multi-color Outsoles
February 14 is two weeks away. As such, some of the biggest players in the sneaker space have been revealing their Valentine’s Day collections. Recently,...
Beyonce’s IVY PARK x adidas “IVYTOPIA” Collection Returns On July 21st
In addition to dropping a new album by the end of July, Beyoncé is set to debut another chapter of her adidas partnership on July...
This adidas Triple Platforum Low Adds Hiking Hardware And Stealthy Iridescent Uppers
Of all the transformed Forums that we’ve witness thus far, few can top Kerwin Frost’s ghastly “Humanchive” interpretation of late 2021. Bold designs such as...
The adidas UltraBOOST 22 Finds Its Footing Among Female Runners
Whether or not you ever believed in the adidas UltraBOOST line, it’s impossible to deny its influence on the footwear scene since launching in 2015....
This Women’s adidas Stan Smith Stitches Together Two Color Personalities
Since its comeback in 2014, the adidas Stan Smith has been dressed in numerous colorways bound to impress the brand’s diverse audience. The creative iterations...
Beyonce’s IVY PARK Introduces The adidas Super Super Sleek On August 20th
Since its debut in 2016 and post-hiatus, Beyonce’s IVY PARK line has been approaching sports apparel and footwear through a unique lens gives familiar pieces...
Recycled Materials Create A Bold Mix Of Patterns On A Women’s Ultraboost 5.0 DNA “Nature Lab”
From inviting iconic characters onto the Primegreen adidas Stan Smith to frequently collaborating with environmental organization Parley, adidas has actively been devising ways to innovatively embrace...
The adidas Ultraboost 5.0 DNA Gets A Blushing Pink Makeover
From the return of the Olympics-inspired “Medal” pack to another LEGO collaboration, the adidas Ultraboost has been participating in a handful of exciting projects. The...