adidas Originals: the history

The trefoil was first introduced in 1972 at the Munich Olympic Games where it could be seen on every official and on 1,164 out of the 1,490 competing athletes

Due to its visibility on every major athlete at the time as well as due to its strong presence in tennis (which at the time was enjoying never before seen popularity) on athletes such as Stan Smith & Ilie Nastase, by 1976 the trefoil had become one of the most popular and recognizable brand symbols in the world

By the late 1970s and the 1980s, the trefoil had grown beyond sport and was beginning to be seen on a number of celebrities, in particular musicians

The trefoil- symbol of Originals

Trefoil- pronounced tref (to rhyme with deaf)- oil

It is derived from a latin word meaning ‘three leaved plant’

adidas Originals: the history

Bob Marley in his adidas SL-72 trainers from 1978

In the 1980s, RUN D.M.C became the world’s first mainstream rap group

They were HUGE adidas fans and popularized wearing adidas Superstars without laces

In 1986 they even released a song called ‘My Adidas’ as a tribute to their favorite brand

Run-DMC made a fashion statement by wearing their Adidas sneakers with no laces. They were also known for their trench coats and big jewelry, which became popular with rappers and set the stage for Hip-Hop style. When this became a hit, Run-DMC got their own line of sneakers with Adidas.

This song proved that rap was not just a form of music, but a lifestyle. In the years to come, Hip-Hop fashion spread to a wide audience, even invading the suburbs. This was one of the first songs where the MCs rapped about their clothing choices.

Around the time this was released, clothing companies started designing more Hip-Hop styles. Russell Simmons, the brother of group-member Run (Joseph Simmons), was the first to start his own line based on the music.

The song is a positive statement about where the band has traveled. They were trying to make the point that black men can grow up in a bad area and become successful with out resorting to a life of crime.

The lyrics mention their performance at Live-Aid the previous year. Run-DMC was the only rap group to play at the benefit concert, appearing between Sade and Sting. This was a major step toward rap music's acceptance by a broader audience, as Run-DMC showed they were concerned about social causes just like the other artists who played.

The company Adidas was named after it's founder, Adi Dassler. Contrary to the rumor, it does not stand for "All Day I Dream About Sex."

RUN DMC AND ‘’MY ADIDAS’’

adidas Originals: the history

In 1990, the new ‘sports performance’ logo was introduced in order to restore focus to the adidas brand and take it back to its sporting roots

Despite the global re-branding, the trefoil refused to die out and in the mid 90s began to make a comeback through the most unlikely of sources…

…the rock music of nu-metal bands like Korn & Limp Bizkit .

In fact so popular was the brand among such bands that their type of music began to be called ‘adidas rock’ by music critics

adidas Originals: the history

Korn were the first popular ‘nu-metal’ band to popularize adidas. They even named a song A.D.I.D.A.S in their 1997 album, Life Is Peachy

adidas Originals: the history

Korn were soon followed by Limp Bizkit who further popularized the brand. Their most popular album, Significant Other’s cover even featured a figure wearing a pair of Superstars, easily identifiable from their 3 stripes & shell toe design

adidas Originals: the history

The popularity of adidas was not limited only to rock music however. In the late 90’s, funk band Jamiroquai also began to popularize the brand, with lead singer Jay Kay especially wearing adidas Gazelles in almost every video (e.g. Canned Heat)

adidas Originals: the history

The influence of the trefoil was not just limited to music. By the end of the 1990’s, it had truly become one of the world’s most popular brands and was celebrated in the 1999 cult teen movie, Dude, Where’s My Car?

One of the most famous parts of this movie was the ‘Chinese Tailor Scene’

Ashton Kutcher was even pictured wearing a pair of navy blue adidas Gazelles on the poster for the movie

adidas Originals: the history

Due to the growing popularity of the trefoil, adidas decided to relaunch all products carrying the trefoil under a new brand name in 2001.

This brand was of course

The originals brand aims at showcasing over 30 years of sports heritage in a stylish and contemporary way- it was launched with the tagline ‘Once Innovative, Now Classic, Always Authentic’

What this means is that Originals provides the consumer with footwear & apparel that were once cutting edge sports performance, but are now stylish, lifestyle oriented products.

Every Originals product is a modern reinterpretation of a classic design, which means that every Originals product has a story attached to it, something that no other brand can claim.

adidas Originals: the heritage

THE SUPERSTAR

Perhaps the most iconic shoe that adidas has ever made, the Superstar was launched in 1969 as the world’s first low top specialist basketball shoe. By the mid 1970s , close to 75% of the NBA were wearing Superstars, including the legendary Kareem Abdul Jabbar who till date has scored more NBA points that any other player in history (including Michael Jordan)

For the 35th Anniversary of the Superstar, adidas sold 35 exclusive, one of a kind Superstars. The 35th such pair is currently the most expensive sneaker in the world and is worth over $10,000

Limited edition Superstars

Basic Superstars

adidas Originals: the heritage

THE SAMBA

One of the world’s best know football training shoes, the Samba has been around since 1950, when it was first produced to help footballers train on hard, icy ground in the winter. Just as the shelltoe is the trademark of the Superstar, the tan colored ‘gumsole’ with suction pads is the trademark of the Samba.

THE GAZELLE

The Gazelle was (obviously) named after the antelope of the same name. As the name suggests, it was originally meant to be a track training shoe when it was launched in 1969. After the Superstar this is probably the most popular adidas shoe ever made and is the preferred shoe of celebrities such as Jamiroquai, Liam Gallagher of Oasis & Madonna

adidas Originals: the heritage

THE STAN SMITH

This shoe was introduced in 1971 and was named after the US tennis player Stan Smith. Stan Smiths are easily identifiable as they do not carry the three stripes. Instead, they have three rows of perforations (dots) and the full adidas logo with the trefoil on the midsole. Their highly simple, yet classic design has again made them on of the most popular adidas shoes of all time.

Stan Smith was one of the world’s best tennis players in the early 70s, peaking at #1 in 1972, when he won Wimbledon

adidas Originals: the heritage

THE CAMPUS

This was a suede version of the popular Superstar basketball shoe (which was leather). They were launched as direct competition to the popular ‘Clyde’ basketball shoe from Puma

THE SL72

These popular athletic shoes were actually launched in 1974 (and not 72 as their name suggests). They are characterized by their serrated sole & nylon upper combined with suede reinforcements. They were popularized by the hit 70s TV shows Starsky & Hutch, where they were the trademark shoes of David Starsky.

Important personalities: Muhammad Ali

Quite simply, the greatest boxer the world has ever seen, Muhammad Ali was voted ‘Sportsman Of The Century’ by the BBC & Sports Illustrated Magazine in 1999. He is a three time Heavyweight Champion Of The World and also an Olympic gold medal winner for the US. His larger than life personality and famous quotes made him a cult figure in the 70s and he is still one of the most famous athletes in the world.

Some of his most famous quotes are:

I Am The Greatest

I float like a butterfly & sting like a bee

He also often referred to himself as The G.O.A.T, which stood for The Greatest Of All Time

Important personalities: Missy Elliott

Missy Elliott is the highest selling female rapper of all time- she has sold more than 30 million CDs worldwide. Some of her more famous songs are Work It, Lose Control and her signature song- Get Ur Freak On

In 2004, adidas Originals began to collaborate with Missy Elliott for a signature line called Respect M.E. This line offers footwear and apparel that is inspired by Missy’s own personal sense of style. In fact, Missy spend 2 days a years with adidas designers in order to approve these designs herself. Her greatest hits album in 2006 was also called Respect M.E.

Important personalities: Kareem Abdul Jabbar

Kareem performing his trademark ‘skyhook’ in adidas Superstars

Kareem Abdul Jabbar is regarded as one of the greatest basketball players to have ever played the game and holds the NBA record for most points scored in history- 38,387, more than even Michael Jordan (who only scored 32,292) . From 1975 to his retirement in 1989, he played for the Los Angeles Laker, where he wore the legendary #33 jersey.

Kareem’s trademark shot was the ‘skyhook’ a hook shot in which he bent his whole body instead of just his arm. As he stood 7”2 , the skyhook was virtually impossible to block, especially since he could shoot it from either hand.

Important personalities: Robbie Williams

Robbie Williams began his career with the boy band Take That before starting his solo career in 1996. He is currently the most successful male artist in the world and the most successful British male artist of all time, having sold 53 million albums and 15 million singles worldwide. In 2006, he also entered the Guinness Book of Records for selling 1.6 million tickets in one day.

In 2006, Robbie’s latest album, Rudebox featured him in a white adidas track top on its cover. The song Rudebox also featured the lyrics:

‘Rock 3 stripes,

Not the Asics,

A-D-I-D-A-S,

Old school this is the best’

Important personalities

James Hunt was one of the most flamboyant Formula One drivers of all time and was F1 world champion in 1976. He was famous for his excessive lifestyle and used to wear patches saying ‘Sex- Breakfast of Champions’ and ‘Sex- It’s a High Performance Thing’ on his racing overalls. He died in 1993 at the age of 45.

Gerd Muller was one of the highest goal scorers in football history and has scored more goals than any other German player (68 goals in 62 appearances). He was also the highest ever scorer in the German Bundesliga, scoring 365 goals for Bayern Munich during his career. He was short and not very athletic looking, however he had lethal speed over short distances, which earned him the nickname The Bomber.

Important personalities

Franz Beckenbauer is widely regarded as the greatest German footballer of all time. He led Germany to a World Cup victory as captain in 1974 and again as manager in 1990. He was twice voted European Footballer of The Year and won three European Cups with Bayern Munich. He was nicknamed Der Kaiser (The Emperor) for his elegant style and leadership skills.

Ilie Nastase was a Romanian tennis player who was one of the world’s top ranked players in the early 70s. From 1973- 74, he was the world’s #1 player. He was the original ‘bad boy’ of tennis and was notorious for losing his temper on court. In his autobiography, he claimed to have slept with over 2,500 women.

adidas Originals: today

Sports Heritage Street Credibility

meets

to create an invitation to celebrate one’s unique originality & individuality

In other words, Originals is a brand that is unique & authentic. Originals does things differently & creatively. It supports self

expression, such as street art & music. It is sexy and stylish. It is classic yet stylish. Most importantly, it celebrates originality.

adidas Originals: 2 key questions

Q. How is adidas Originals different from ‘normal’ adidas (SP)?

A. ‘Normal’ adidas is a pure sports performance brand, intended to offer the consumer the most innovative and advanced sports products available. Originals however, is more of a fashion brand, intended to offer the consumer premium & stylish lifestyle products for casual use. Simply put- you would wear SP at the gym or while running, but you would wear Originals at a bar or a club.

Q. What makes Originals such a special brand? How is it different from all the other brands? Why should I spend money on it?

A. What makes Originals so special is that EVERY TREFOIL HAS A STORY. Every single Originals product has a special story about it. Unlike many other brands, Originals products are not just ‘designed- they are all derived or inspired by classic adidas products or athletes. When a consumer buys an Original product, he is buying into over 40 years of adidas heritage.

adidas Originals: key brand ranges

Ali by adidas

This is a range inspired by the life & times of Muhammad Ali. It offers luxurious & sophisticated products featuring iconic visuals & quotes by the great man himself. This is aimed at the well to do male consumer.

Respect M.E

This sexy yet highly feminine line has been developed in collaboration with Missy Elliott herself. The range is further subdivided into two lines- Bass (which has louder branding and colors) for slightly younger consumers and Rhythm (which is more understated and elegant) for older consumers

adidas Originals: key brand ranges

Freizeit

Freizeit is German for ‘Free Time’. As the name suggests, this is a highly sophisticated leisure wear line, inspired by classic sports such as tennis, golf & sailing.

Sleek Series

This is a highly feminine line offering sleeker and more elegant redesigns on classic adidas products. adidas has also collaborated with a French street artist named Fafi, who has designed special drawings exclusively for use on Sleek Series products. Sleek Series combines feminine elegance with sporty fun.

adidas Originals: key brand ranges Porsche Design

The collaboration between adidas & Porsche dates back to the friendship between the founders of the two companies- Adi Dassler & Ferdinand Porsche. Also, both companies stood for performance- on the athletic field or on the racing track. Porsche Design offers premium products inspired by the designs of classic Porsche cars from the 50s & 60s

Goodyear Mobility

This footwear only range is a collaboration between adidas & Goodyear tires, who provide the soles for these racing shoes. This range dates back to adidas’ involvement with motorsport in both Formula One as well as Moto GP.