German brand adidas is one of the world’s two biggest sportswear companies alongside Nike, but its greatest historical rival was fraternal. Shoemaking brothers Adolf and Rudolf Dassler founded Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik in 1924 before becoming estranged and founding their own companies, adidas and PUMA. The Brand with the Three Stripes is not only a behemoth in sports such as football; its Run-DMC-driven popularity in ’80s NYC helped adidas become a lifestyle giant, too.
Adidas is one of the most famous German clothing brands that manufactures and sells sportswear, founded by Adolf “Adi” Dassler in Herzogenaurach, Germany, in 1949. The name adidas comes from its founder’s name, Adolf, and its abbreviation, “Adi.”
Adidas AG, the adidas group, is one of the largest manufacturers of sports shoes and clothing in Europe and the second-biggest in the world after the main competitor Nike. Adidas produces and sells sports clothing, sneakers, running shoes, bags, accessories like watches and sunglasses, and so on through its e-com shop, over a thousand retail stores, and several franchises. The brand is headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany.
Some of adidas’ most important collaborations have often been with figures from hip-hop. The label has released Kanye YEEZY-branded sneakers, Pharrell Williams, Pusha-T, and Missy Elliott endorsements. Adidas’ importance in hip-hop dates back to the mid-’80s and Run-DMC’s love of the brand’s tracksuits and shell-toe Superstar sneakers, culminating in the 1986 single “My Adidas.” The most famous sneaker styles have been adidas Samba, adidas Stan Smith, and the iconic shell-toe adidas Superstar silhouettes.
The sportswear giant has also had several key collaborations with streetwear brands, such as A Bathing Ape and Palace Skateboards, and high fashion designers, including Yohji Yamamoto’s Y-3 line, Raf Simons, Rick Owens, Stella McCartney, and Alexander Wang.
$22,51 billion (2022)
Adidas shoes are made in three different locations. First, adidas shoes are designed and tested with different materials in the adidas HQ in Herzogenaurach, Germany. Then, most of the adidas shoe production is done in their manufacturing facility in Indonesia. Additionally, adidas has a “Speedfactory” in Bavaria, where high-speed production is based on and customized to athletes’ data.
Since Horst Dassler, the son of Adolf Dassler, passed away in 1987, adidas was sold and is no longer family-owned. Instead, Adidas is now owned by Adidas AG, a multinational corporate group owned by several shareholders. The majority holders are football club Bayern München and Austrian fitness company Runtastic.
Adidas was founded in 1949.
Adidas was founded in Herzogenaurach, Germany, a small German town known as the home of two major sportswear companies.
Adidas was founded by German entrepreneur Adolf “Adi” Dassler, the younger brother of Rudolf Dassler, who was the founder of Puma.
From 2016 to 2022 November, Kasper Rørsted was the CEO of adidas. However, as of January 2022, Bjørn Gulden, previous PUMA chief, will take over from Rørsted after the Yeezy partnership crisis.
Adidas AG, the Adidas Group, is headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany.
Adidas’ tagline is “Impossible Is Nothing,” which communicates the brand’s passion for sport and the desire to be the pioneering one-stop shop for athletes.
Kanye West Yeezy sneakers were produced by adidas between 2015 to 2022; however, adidas dropped the Kanye Yeezy with an immediate end to the contract in October due to Kanye’s repeated hate speech. Adidas’ revenue share from Yeezy shoes was reportedly nearly 7% of its annual revenue in 2021.
Yeezy was first brought to the hype after a collab with streetwear brand A Bathing Ape (BAPE) by NIGO, Dropout Bear Bapesta in 2006, later releasing a collaboration with Louis Vuitton in 2009. From 2009 to 2013, the Kanye Yeezy sneakers brand partnered with Nike, releasing two silhouettes and two styles before parting ways due to disagreements about royalties.
Adidas Group owned Reebok from 2005 to 2022. On the 12th of August 2021, it was announced Authentic Brands Group would acquire the brand, with the deal finalized on the 1st of March 2022 worth around $2.5 billion.
To guarantee your adidas sneakers will last, it’s crucial to treat them the right way, which includes cleaning them properly. If you are wondering how to wash adidas shoes, follow a simple procedure. First, don’t put your adidas sneakers in the washing machine; in this case, a simple soap and water mixture and a cloth will do the trick. You can follow the same procedure if you don’t know how to clean white adidas shoes.
First, before cleaning, put some newspapers in your adidas shoes to make sure they retain their shape while cleaning, and remove the shoelaces. Then, you can use a shoe brush or a toothbrush (that you don’t use anymore) to remove any dirt. Next, mix the soap and water, dip a cloth in the water, and then rub the stains on the shoes. In the case of a canvas (fabric) shoe, don’t scrub too hard to avoid damage. Once clean, leave them to dry — don’t leave them in direct sunlight to prevent color fade, and don’t put them in the drier.
The story of the adidas logo dates back to 1951 when the Brand With the Three Stripes bought the three-stripe trademark from Finnish brand Karhu for today’s equivalent of $1,800 and two bottles of whisky (at least that’s how the story is retold today).
In 1971, adidas updated its branding with the leaf-like Trefoil logo ahead of the Munich Olympic Games. It became a classic piece of branding, seen on tracksuits and traditional sneaker models. In 1991, the adidas Equipment (later EQT) performance line introduced the tilted “three bars” logo designed by Nike Air Jordan 1 creator Peter Moore.
Yes, adidas is a German brand founded in a small German town called Herzogenaurach.
Adidas Stan Smith is, in fact, not a person but a sneaker silhouette by adidas. Adidas Stan Smith is one of the most iconic sneakers by the Brand of Three Stripes, first created in 1965 and named after an American tennis player Stan Smith in 1978.
Adidas Group employs over 60,000 people across the globe.
Adidas Originals is a subdivision of adidas dedicated to lifestyle, fashion, and heritage products. It is home to many brands' collaborations with fashion designers, celebrities, and cultural figures. For example, Pharrell's collaborations come under the adidas Originals by Pharrell Williams label (sometimes stylized adidas Originals = Pharrell Williams). Alexander Wang's products are adidas Originals by Alexander Wang, and so on.
Adidas Originals is represented by the old-school Trefoil logo, which was replaced as the symbol of the brand's performance sportswear products by the "three bars" logo, introduced with the 1991's Equipment (EQT) line.
You can buy adidas directly at the Highsnobiety shop.