adidas

One of the most unique stories in sneaker culture is the history of adidas. Brothers, Adolph and Rudolf Dassler created their first training shoe in 1920 and Dassler shoes earned the respect of many top athletes, including Jesse Owens, who win 4 gold medals in 1936 wearing the Dassler shoes. In 1948, however, the two brothers could no-longer see eye-to-eye and went their separate ways. Rudolph would go on to found PUMA. While Adolph, or Adi as his friends called him, combined his nickname and the first part of his last name to come up with the name adidas.

Just a year after parting ways, ‘The Three Stripes’ were established as the trademark of adidas.

In 1965 one of the most iconic adidas models was created. The Stan Smith as it is known, was created the for American tennis star which continues to be popular as a retro model. A few years later the adidas Gazelle was created in 1968 as a training shoe. Over the years the Gazelle has become one of the most popular indoor soccer shoes however.

In 1969 the adidas Superstar was introduced as the first low-top leather basketball shoe. The most defining aspect of the Superstar of course is the reinforced rubber toebox, which over time has made the adidas Superstar commonly known as “shell toes.” Later, during the 1980s, the adidas Superstar would become even more iconic thanks to the hip-hop group Run DMC. Run DMC made shell toes popular and later partnered with adidas on a number of occasions for special collaborations.

Another style from adidas that can be attributed its popularity to hip-hop is the adidas Campus. The Campus originally released in the 1970s but when the Beastie Boys began wearing the shoes in the 1980s and 1990s, the Campus’ following reached cult-like status.

Running shoes have always been important for adidas and in 1972 they began to create lighter better performing trainers. The SL 72 launched the SL line which stood for Super Light, and the SL line continued to be popular into the 1980s and as retro models even today. The SL line also helped pave the way for other adidas running shoes like the Marathon, Oregon, and adjustable cushioning of the LA Trainer, designed for the 1984 Olympic Games. The adidas running shoes have included many other groundbreaking designs including styles from the ZX line and technologies like Torsion.

Basketball shoes from adidas have also been a platform for new technology. After iconic styles in the 1980s, like the Top Ten and Attitude, the 1990s brought the “Feet You Wear” podular-like outsole design that mimics the human foot’s natural movement. The Feet You Wear technology evolved into the technology that is worn by Dwight Howard and Derrick Rose in recent years. Other technologies that keep adidas moving forward include Sprintframe and Sprintskin which have allowed adidas to create some of the lightest basketball shoes ever created.