What do Jesse Owens, Muhammad Ali, Run DMC, Estelle and David Beckham all have in common. Simple; Adidas! This Summer Adidas deservedly celebrate “60 years of Soles and Stripes” kicking it all off with a “House Party” at Milan fashion week. However how much of the vision has been lost in those sixty years. Would Adi Dassaler be proud of what “Adidas” has become. Back in the day in Herzogenaurach not far from Nerumberg Germany Adi was dedicated to his craft and the creation of the greatest sports shoes the world had ever seen. Little did he know that sixty years later you need only walk to the end of your street to see eighteen pairs of adidas sneakers! Something that was massively sports specific managed to cement itself in Hip Hop history and the world was watching.
In 1949 the 3 Stripes we know today were trademarked and Adidas could do no wrong. In 1971 Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazer battled out in what was called the “Fight of the century” both wearing Adidas, In 1974 The German Football team lifted the World cup in three stripes, and in the 1984 LA Olympic Games 124 out of the 140 nations were sporting Adidas. Adidas has been successful in living in two worlds. The Super credible functional sports world and the Culturally led, Music, scene driven world. Whereas one was manufactured and driven by Adi himself, the Hip Hop route was driven by none other than Run DMC and the “Shell Toe”! Although originally intended as a low top basketball shoe the shell toe was made famous via the Queens two piece in 1986. The “My Adidas” track put the sneaker company on the Hip Hop map leading the way for a myriad of other musical ambassadors such as Missy Elliot, Estelle, Redman and Methodman.
Now three stripes feel as at home on the streets of Brooklyn as they do on the football pitches of Munich. The adidas ambassadors transcend the values of the brand and reiterate the style and credibility needed for mass appeal. The brand has delved into Bboy, music production, graffiti, and freestyle football to name but a few specific scenes. Be it David Beckham, Katie Perry or Reverend Run Adidas has continued to appeal to the youth of today. Recent collaborations also have a fresh feel teaming up with the likes of Diesel Jeans and Vespa. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for the brand. We will be watching!
Adidas X Diesel
The TV add definitely made me want to go out and buy some fresh new sneakers! This is Breaksof10′s salute to Sixty years of Soles and Stripes.
