From sports to street fashion.
1949 | HERZOGENAURACH, GERMANY | Adolf Dassler

Adidas is a sports company that has an inseparable relationship not only with sports but also with street fashion. This global brand has its origins in the "Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory," which was started in 1924 by Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, sons of a shoe merchant.

The company, founded by the collaboration of the craftsman-like Adolf and the business-savvy Rudolf, manufactured and sold running and soccer shoes. Their shoes were highly regarded in Germany, with athletes wearing them winning gold medals at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics and the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

However, in 1949, the brothers parted ways due to differences in their business philosophies. The younger brother, Adolf Dassler, founded Adidas under his own name. Incidentally, the older brother, Rudolf Dassler, independently started a brand called Ruda, which would later become Puma.

Incidentally, the three stripes that are now a symbol of Adidas were originally a design element for reinforcement, but the company acquired the rights to use them from Karhu, a Finnish sports brand that also used three stripes in its early days.

In 1950, Adidas released the "Samba" soccer shoe. Featuring a durable cowhide upper and a soft sheepskin lining, and equipped with a toe guard, this shoe was supplied to the German national team and greatly contributed to their victory at the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland. The reputation of Adidas soccer shoes became known all over the world. Since then, the Samba has become a staple Adidas shoe, and to date, more than 35 million pairs have been sold worldwide.

In 1965, Adidas released the "HAILLET" tennis shoe to commemorate Robert Haillet's success at the French Open. Its lightweight, soft leather and simple design, featuring three stripes created with ventilation holes, made it popular and a favorite among many players. Adidas noticed that Stan Smith, who won his first Wimbledon title, was also wearing this model and signed a signature contract with him. As a result, the shoe bore the "HAILLET/STAN SMITH" double name until around 1977. Even after the name was changed to "STAN SMITH," it's well-known among enthusiasts that the portrait of Stan Smith on the tongue and the logo design have varied over time.

Then, in 1969, the basketball shoe "SUPERSTAR" was born, becoming famous after being worn by the NBA team San Diego Rockets. Shortly after its creation, the model's most distinctive feature, the shell toe, was added, and when the Boston Celtics, whose many players wore Adidas, won the championship in 1974, it became such a popular model that at one point more than 75% of NBA players wore Adidas Superstars. In the 1980s, the hip-hop group RUN-DMC had a hit with their song "My Adidas," showcasing a rude style with the laces removed, and the shoe experienced a resurgence in popularity. Since then, it has become an indispensable sneaker in street fashion.

In 1973, in response to the running boom, they released the "Country" cross-country running shoe. This shoe incorporated cutting-edge technology of the time, such as an outsole that extended to the toe and heel to handle rough terrain like fields, and a midsole that combined EVA of different hardnesses to enhance cushioning, and it gained popularity among many runners.

Adidas had lagged behind Nike, and Reebok in the so-called high-tech shoe market, but they commissioned rapper Kanye West, also known as a fashion icon, to design their shoes. As soon as the high-top "YEEZY BOOST 750" and the low-top "YEEZY BOOST 350" were released in 2015, their look, which perfectly matched street luxury, recorded a rare premium in the sneaker market. At its peak, they were traded for more than 10 times their original price, creating a social phenomenon of "sneakers as an investment."