From a small washroom to the world’s biggest stadiums: That’s the adidas story. The German brand with the three stripes, founded by brothers Adolf and Rudolf Dassler in the 1920s is deeply rooted in sports – from their first steps of crafting running shoes in their mother’s washroom, all the way to Jesse Owens winning four gold metals at the 1936 Olympics with adidas shoes on his feet.
And the run of the ‘Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik‘ didn’t stop there – even when the brothers went separate ways in the 1950s. Adolf changed the brand’s name to adidas – ‘adi‘ for his nickname, ‘das‘ for ‘Dassler‘ – and landed a giant coup when he equipped the German soccer team which would result in the ‘miracle of Bern‘: The team won the 1954 World Cup in lightweight adidas shoes with screw-in cleats that gave them a clear advantage over their opponents on the wet soccer field. Now the whole world knew about adidas.
Since then, adidas has defined sportswear and ultimately streetwear. In the second half of the 20th century, adidas introduced us to the famous three stripes, the classic tracksuit, countless iconic shoes like the Superstar, the Stan Smith and the Adilette and helped to turn sportswear into fashion items by the 80s. And when Run DMC praised “My Adidas“ in the first sneaker anthem ever, adidas basically established today’s fashion-collab-culture by giving the hip hop group the first non-athlete endorsement deal ever by a sports brand.
What makes adidas special, is that despite its rich history, the brand still keeps on innovating tirelessly: adidas‘ Y-3 line with Yōji Yamamoto has been a forerunner for avant-garde aesthetics in today’s fashion. And Ultra Boost sneakers with their energy-returning midsoles changed the course of running forever while adidas x Pharrell Williams uses recycled ocean plastic for more sustainability.
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