![]() The iconic three-stripe brand was acquired by Adolf Dassler in the 1940s from Finnish shoe manufacturer Karhu Sports. The sneaker is more detailed with spikes and the three stripes. The first change to the Adidas logo, in 1949, replaced the name Dassler with Adolf Dassler. Both subsidiaries were named with acronyms combining the letters of their first and last names (Adi was a nickname for Adolf). Rudolf founded Ruda (later renamed Puma) and Adolf registered Adidas. The brothers parted ways in 1947 after their relationship soured. The original brand featured a bird carrying a lightweight shoe inside a shield. The Dassler brothers were selling 200,000 pairs a year with the Dassler logo. In 1924, athletic footwear was already booming. In the mid-20th century, the Adidas logo was beginning to take shape with an identity similar to the current one. The company’s look and branding have changed a lot over the past century. This choice represents the casual and informal nature of the Adidas brand.įinally, since the Adidas logo does not have a set color scheme, Adidas is free to alter the color of the logo in any way it sees fit to complement the design of the clothing on which it is placed. This mountain symbolizes overcoming challenges, a popular theme for the athletes to whom Adidas sells its apparel.Īdidas has also chosen to put its company name in lowercase letters in its logo. These three stripes were intended to convey the company’s diversity and international appeal by symbolizing the three major land masses where Adidas shoes were sold: North America, Europe and Asia.Īdidas added even more meaning and symbolism to its latest logo by turning it into a triangle that looks like a mountain leaning upward. However, Karhu Sports was badly affected by World War II and, lacking capital, the owner agreed to sell Adidas the trademark of its logo for what today would be the equivalent of 1600 euros and two bottles of whiskey.Įven before Adidas bought the trefoil logo from Karhu Sports, it added three stripes to all its products, and referred to itself as the “three-stripe company”. The original owner of the logo was Karhu Sports. However, it was not the first company to use the design. ![]() The Adidas logo has long been famous for its three stripes. ![]() Today, Adidas supplies apparel for the NBA, NFL and other sports, and in 2016 the company had a turnover of 19.3 billion eurosĪlong the way, Adidas has leveraged clever marketing and the popularity of their designs to achieve such success, and at the forefront of those designs is the recognizable Adidas logo, a logo they bought for the equivalent of what today would be €1,600 and two bottles of whiskey. Tapie increased production of Adidas shoes, but unable to pay the interest on the loan he used to buy the company, Tapie sold Adidas to Robert Louis-Dreyfus.Īdidas changed hands a few more times in the following years, and gradually grew in success. He retained control of the company until 1987, when it was sold to a French investor named Bernard Tapie. In 1947, Adolf changed the name of his company to Adidas, after his nickname “Adi”. Jesse Owens became the first African-American to receive sponsorship at the Olympics, and the popularity of Dassler Shoes soared. For many, the origins of Adidas may involve a bit of controversy: the company’s founder, Adolf Dassler, fought on the side of the Germans in World War I and joined the Nazi party in World War IIĪfter returning from fighting in World War I, Dassler began working in the manufacture of athletic shoes in his mother’s kitchenĪt first, he was joined by his younger brother Rudolf, but after a falling out, Rudolf left the company and founded a company that would later become one of Adidas’ bitter rivals: Puma.Īdidas – then Dassler Shoes – got its first big break when Adolf went to the 1936 Summer Olympics with a suitcase full of cleats and convinced sprinter Jesse Owens to wear them in competition. ![]()
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