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 Gazelle Enacts A Clad “Wheat” Composition
From the pitch to skateboards to the floors of general admission rock concerts, the adidas Gazelle has spanned a multitude of cultural spaces and avenues....
The adidas UltraBOOST 1.0 “Gum Pack” Lands In Men’s And Women’s Sizes
To this day, many still favor the UltraBOOST‘s original version, often lamenting the fact that adidas made it obsolete with subsequent updates. But now —...
This Women’s adidas AlphaBOOST Features “Wonder Quartz” Accents
The adidas AlphaBOOST may be a newer proposition from the brand, but it combined years of innovation onto one silhouette. Recently, the BOOST, BOUNCE, and...
adidas Sitting On More Than $500 Million Worth Of Yeezy Product
Though among one of the most prolific partnerships to ever grace sneaker culture, adidas Yeezy came to an abrupt end back in October of this...
The adidas Campus 80s Spices Things Up With An Homage To Howlin’ Ray’s Hot Chicken
Throughout 2022 the adidas Originals team has metaphorically been visiting and tasting the authentic cuisines of various cultures and communities from across the globe. Bringing...
The Jeremy Scott x adidas Forum Wings 4.0 Resurfaces In Two Glossy Colorways
At one point, Jeremy Scott and adidas were pumping out some of the hottest shoes on the market, lacing up celebrities the likes of A$AP...
adidas Introduces The Trae Unlimited, A Lower Budget Option For Trae Young Fans
After cementing their brands with a number of silhouettes and branding opportunities, signature athletes soon recognize the price point of their performance sneakers aren’t always...
adidas Is Bringing Back The Yeezy 500 Model For 2023
It’s (almost) official: adidas is bringing back Yeezy brand-less designs in 2023. First up?: The Yeezy 500. Built atop a Feet You Wear sole unit...
adidas’ “Cosmic Way Runners” Collection Expands With The Supernova Cushion 7
Since its inception, adidas has been obsessed with the future of sport. Although the German institution surely has several projects “under wraps,” it’s shared its...