Adidas: changing lives through sport
Brands

16 July 2021

Adidas: changing lives through sport

Adidas: changing lives through sport



All good stories have moments of victory, struggle and overcoming and Adidas is no exception. It all began in 1920 when Adolf "Adi" Dassler started producing sports shoes in a room in his mother's house. A few years later he was joined by his brother Rudolf "Rudi" Dassler and together they formed the GebrüderDasslerSchuhfabrik - the Dassler Brothers' Sports Shoe Factory. Adolf handled the product development and Rudolf the administrative work.

 

They were a well-oiled machine, whose main objective was to create appropriate footwear for each sport in conjunction with the athletes, in order to avoid injuries and improve performance. A characteristic that is present in the brand to this day. It was from 1928 that Dassler footwear reached the mouths of the world, when athletes began to use them in Olympic games. In less than 10 years, the brand became known as the winners' footwear, and in 1936, 40 Olympic gold medallists were wearing Dassler footwear.

 

However, everything changed with the Second World War. The versions of the stories are varied, but what is known for sure is that the Dassler factory closed during the war and when it reopened, after the conflict was over, nothing went back to the way it was before. Due to conflicts between the brothers, each decided to go their own way and the result was two separate brands and a town split in two. Rudolf founded Puma and Adolf Adidas.

 


 


He decided to combine his nickname "Adi" with the beginning of his surname Dassler, thus registering Adidas in 1949. He set up his factory on one side of the river in his home town of Bavaria, and his brother set up on the other side, as if separated by a watery Berlin Wall. More than adversaries, the German brothers became enemies. This rivalry extended to the family and the entire city, which was forced to choose one of the sides. In 2009, symbolically, the two brands clashed in a friendly football match to mark the end of 60 years of conflict.

 

It was to differentiate himself from his brother and to start over in the best possible way that Adolf Dassler sought a way to stand out through design. Thus the famous three stripes were created, which would become one of the most famous logos in the world. But did you know that there are several versions of the logo? This is because each one refers to a specific Adidas market. The famous clover with the stripes, called Trefoil, appeared in 1971 and represented the brand in its entirety for 26 years. However, from 1997, when the three mountain-shaped bars logo was created to represent the performance division, the Trefoil became the image of Adidas Originals.

 

Adidas Originals began even before it had this name, when in the 90s the brand started investing in the combination of sport and fashion. Officially, it was launched in 2001 with jackets, sneakers, T-shirts and trousers with a retro look inspired by the 1920s and 1980s. Since then it has been known as the heritage line of sportswear. It's this side of Adidas that you can find on BZR- Street StyleCulture.

 


 


More than just a brand that creates quality products, Adidas is also very strong when it comes to its marketing. Here we highlight one of the German giant's biggest worldwide campaigns from 2003. With the slogan "impossible is nothing" Adidas shared stories of personalities such as Muhammad Ali reinforcing that we can push our limits and overcome the impossible. This year, 18 years after this campaign, the brand has relaunched the slogan and brings us Beyoncé, Hima Das, Tiffany Abreu and 17 more personalities to inspire and empower us to believe in our story, our potential and the power to change lives with sport.

 

As well as focusing on the athlete, Adidas also wants to improve the planet. Like many brands, the German giant is betting on recycled materials and has outlined an ambitious sustainability plan. 2020 marked the launch of Primegreen and Primeblue technologies, which are based on recycled materials collected from both land and sea. By 2025, Adidas has committed to producing nine sustainable items out of every 10. The aim is to do this using three methods: using recycled materials, producing items that can be recycled or creating them with natural or renewable products.

 

Today we've brought you a bit of Adidas history, but you can find out much more in Taschen's book 'The adidas archive. The footwear collection'. In 644 pages, you'll find details about the creation of over 350 pairs of sneakers, some of them never seen before. The 2020 book is packed with epic moments and unique designs such as those created by Stella McCartney, Yohji Yamamoto, Parley for the Oceans and more.

 



 


Be inspired by the world's second largest sports equipment company and never give up on your goals. Every story has a beginning, but it's you who defines the middle and the end of yours. Discover all the Adidas Originals products we have on our site and go through Bazar Desportivo to see the Adidas Performance ones.

 



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