The brand with the three stripes, Adidas, is known for its deep sports culture, diverse variety of shoe styles and color combinations and an iconic logo. Adidas has always been in-the-know, but since the start of the decade, their shoes have been one of their most popular apparel items.
The brand started in Herzogenaurach, Germany, when two brothers, Adolf (Adi) and Rudolf (Rudi) Dassler, began making shoes out of their home. Their first success came in 1936 as Olympian Jesse Owens won four gold medals while wearing the brothers’ “Geda” shoe.
When WWⅡ approached, the brothers had to discontinue their production, due to the war, and they rebuilt the Dassler industry soon after. After multiple fights between the two, they split businesses. Rudi founded another athletic shoe company “Puma” and Adi founded what people know today as “Adidas.”
Throughout the late 20th century, Adidas’ main focus was athletes, specifically those who play European Football. The brand sponsored and still sponsors many prominent teams such as Real Madrid, Manchester United and FC Bayern Munchen. In fact, Adidas’ most popular shoe, the Samba, was made for the pitch.
The Samba was made in 1949, the same year the brand was established. It was specifically designed for playing on slippery, icy pitches. As fashion trends changed and cleats became performance-enhancing and more comfortable, Sambas became more of a street shoe than a cleat.
Celebrities such as model Bella Hadid, actor Brad Pitt and singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo have been seen sporting a pair of Sambas. In the past years, Adidas has collaborated with many celebrities and brands to bring fresh designs and colors to their buyers, including collabs with Pharrell Williams, Prada and English brand Liberty London.
“The collection draws inspiration from carefully curated, quintessentially Liberty designs, and is a vibrant celebration of print and color. We worked with modern hues to breathe new life into iconic patterns creating a saturated pop aesthetic that we feel is both contemporary and timeless,” comments Liberty London’s Design Manager Pere Bruach in an interview with Harriet Brown.
Other popular styles of Adidas include the Gazelle, the Superstar, the Handball Spezial and the Campus. There are many variations from all sneakers of the brand and consumers style the shoes from casual to dressy.
Junior and Adidas sneaker connoisseur Milee Arroyo has collected a total of eight pairs of the brand so far, with styles such as Sambas, Spezials and Gazelles. She personally believes that the Adidas Campuses are the comfiest because they are wider and have no platform.
“I think they [Adidas] are so popular because they have so many different styles so everyone is able to get something they like,” explains Arroyo.
Without a doubt, the rise in popularity of Adidas has been extremely prominent in the 2020s. Check the latest trendy styles and shoes on the Adidas website at adidas.com!
