adidas
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA German global sportswear brand known for athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and three-stripes lifestyle products.
Last updated October 13, 2026
Overview
adidas is a German multinational sportswear brand headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria. Operated by adidas AG, it develops and sells athletic footwear, sports apparel, equipment and accessories for football, running, basketball, training, outdoor activities and other sports, while also maintaining a substantial lifestyle business based on archival designs, streetwear and cultural collaborations. Its products are sold through wholesale partners, adidas retail stores, e-commerce and other direct-to-consumer channels across international markets. The company’s origins lie in the athletic-shoe workshop established by Adolf Dassler in Herzogenaurach. Adolf and his brother Rudolf formalized their joint business as the Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory in 1924. Adolf concentrated on technical sports footwear and promoted the shoes through elite competition. The Dassler business gained international attention when American sprinter Jesse Owens wore its spikes at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The brothers separated after a deterioration in their relationship, with Rudolf later establishing Puma. Adolf registered adidas AG on 18 August 1949, deriving the name from his nickname, Adi, and surname, Dassler. adidas built much of its early reputation through football and Olympic sport. The German national team’s use of adidas boots during the 1954 World Cup final became an important moment in the brand’s international development, particularly because the boots used removable studs suited to changing pitch conditions. The company subsequently expanded beyond footwear into team kits, training apparel and sporting accessories. The three-stripes mark, acquired from Finnish company Karhu Sports in 1952, became the central visual symbol of the business. The trefoil was introduced for broader lifestyle and heritage use in the early 1970s, while a performance-oriented three-bars mark later supported the company’s technical product ranges. During the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, adidas changed from a primarily European athletic-shoe maker into a global sports and lifestyle group. Its portfolio expanded through acquisitions including Salomon, TaylorMade, Reebok, Five Ten and Runtastic, although several of those businesses were later sold or separated. Product and brand development increasingly combined performance technology with fashion, music, street culture and designer partnerships. Examples include adidas by Stella McCartney, collaborations with athletes and clubs, and highly visible footwear franchises such as Samba, Superstar, Stan Smith and Ultraboost. The company has also faced significant strategic and reputational challenges. The sale of Reebok in 2022 reflected portfolio simplification, while the termination of its partnership with Ye in October 2022 ended the Yeezy relationship after controversial public remarks by the artist. adidas subsequently managed remaining Yeezy inventory and related commercial consequences. In 2023, Bjørn Gulden became chief executive and emphasized restoring product momentum, strengthening wholesale and direct relationships, and rebuilding the brand’s connection with consumers. adidas remains one of the world’s best-known sports brands, combining professional performance credentials with global lifestyle appeal. adidas is a multinational sporting-goods company headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany. Its core business covers athletic footwear, sports apparel, and sporting equipment. The name derives from founder Adolf Dassler, while the three-stripe identity has become one of the brand’s most recognizable visual marks. Its range serves sports and lifestyle settings including football, running, training, basketball, tennis, and outdoor activities. adidas sells through owned stores, e-commerce, wholesale partners, and other retail channels worldwide. Athlete, team, event, and cultural partnerships have been important to its marketing and brand-building. The company’s activities center on product design, brand management, and global distribution, alongside continued development of direct-to-consumer and digital channels.
History
adidas began with Adolf Dassler’s athletic-shoe making in Herzogenaurach after the First World War. Rudolf Dassler joined him in 1924, creating the Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory. The business focused on improving sports footwear, including lighter spiked shoes made with canvas and rubber rather than heavier traditional materials. Its international profile rose when Jesse Owens wore Dassler spikes at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The brothers’ relationship deteriorated after the Second World War and their business split. Rudolf founded the company that became Puma, while Adolf registered adidas AG on 18 August 1949. The division created a long-running commercial rivalry that shaped Herzogenaurach and helped make branded athletic equipment a major consumer industry. adidas’s three-stripes design was acquired from Karhu Sports in 1952. It became a powerful identifying feature across shoes and clothing, later joined by the trefoil heritage logo and the performance three-bars symbol. Football was central to adidas’s postwar expansion. The German national team’s victory in the 1954 World Cup final while wearing adidas boots gave the company international visibility. The brand then developed relationships with clubs, national teams, Olympic athletes and sporting federations, extending from footwear into kits, balls, training garments and accessories. The first major apparel item associated with the company was the Franz Beckenbauer tracksuit, introduced in 1967. Following Adolf Dassler’s death and the later death of his son Horst, adidas experienced ownership and management changes. French businessman Bernard Tapie acquired the company in 1990, and Robert Louis-Dreyfus became chief executive in 1993. Under Louis-Dreyfus, adidas pursued international growth and portfolio expansion. The 1997 acquisition of Salomon added outdoor and winter-sports activities, together with TaylorMade and Maxfli golf businesses. adidas later sold Salomon to Amer Sports in 2005. The company acquired Reebok in 2006, seeking stronger scale in North America and a broader global position. It also invested in product technology, including the Adidas 1 electronically adjustable shoe, and entered digital fitness through the acquisition of Runtastic in 2015. Designer, celebrity, team and cultural partnerships helped adidas broaden its audience beyond organized sport. The adidas by Stella McCartney line, launched in 2004, became a long-running example of the brand’s combination of performance clothing and fashion design. In the 2010s and 2020s, adidas balanced technical innovation with demand for heritage and lifestyle footwear. Samba, Superstar, Stan Smith and other archival models became important cultural products alongside running, football, basketball and training ranges. The company sold TaylorMade in 2017 and Reebok to Authentic Brands Group in 2022. In the same year, it ended its Yeezy partnership with Ye after controversial remarks, creating major inventory and financial-management challenges. Bjørn Gulden became chief executive in January 2023. adidas continues to operate as a global sportswear company with performance and lifestyle divisions, a broad distribution network and a brand identity centered on the three stripes. adidas traces its origins to Adolf Dassler’s work in athletic footwear manufacturing in Bavaria, Germany. In 1949, Adolf Dassler formally registered the adidas company; the name combined the short form of his first name, “Adi,” with “Dassler.” The company initially focused on sports shoes and built recognition through relationships with athletes and sporting events. As international sport and mass-market athletic consumption expanded, adidas extended its activities into apparel, equipment, and lifestyle products across a range of sports and geographic markets. The three-stripe identity became a central element of the brand and was used across both performance and lifestyle offerings. With the growth of digital retail and direct-to-consumer commerce, the company has continued to adjust its mix of owned stores, e-commerce, wholesale distribution, and marketing investment. adidas remains one of the major global sporting-goods brands, with product innovation, brand building, sports partnerships, and international distribution at the center of its business.
- 2023
Bjørn Gulden becomes CEO
[1]Bjørn Gulden assumed the chief executive role after Kasper Rørsted’s departure. Bjørn Gulden succeeded Kasper Rorsted as CEO of Adidas.
- 2022
Reebok divested and Ye partnership ended
[3]adidas completed the Reebok sale and terminated its Yeezy partnership with Ye.
- 2015
Runtastic acquired
[1]adidas acquired fitness-technology company Runtastic.
- 2006
Reebok acquisition completed
[1]adidas completed its acquisition of Reebok, expanding its presence in North America and the global athletic market.
- 1997
Salomon Group acquired
[1]adidas acquired Salomon, including TaylorMade and Maxfli golf businesses, and adopted the name adidas-Salomon AG.
- 1972
Trefoil introduced
[1]The trefoil logo was introduced as a major adidas visual identity for broader product and lifestyle use.
- 1954
World Cup breakthrough
[2]The West German team’s use of adidas boots during its 1954 World Cup victory helped build the brand’s football reputation.
- 1952
Three-stripes mark acquired
[1]adidas acquired the three-stripes design from Karhu Sports.
- 1949
adidas AG registered
[2]Adolf Dassler registered adidas AG on 18 August, establishing the corporate foundation of the brand.
- 1949
Adidas company founded
[2]Adolf Dassler registered the Adidas company in Germany, with the brand name derived from his name.
Showing the 10 most recent.
Products and positioning
A global, mass-market and professional sports brand that combines athletic performance, fashion design, and street culture influence.
Athletic footwear
Performance footwear
Technical shoes for football, running, basketball, training, outdoor sports and other athletic uses. Product design commonly addresses cushioning, stability, traction, responsiveness, weight and sport-specific movement. Major franchises have included Ultraboost, Predator, Adizero and basketball models, although individual products and technologies change over time.
Sports apparel · 1967
Sportswear
Sports apparel includes jerseys, tracksuits, tops, jackets, shorts, trousers, leggings, sports bras and training layers. The category serves athletes and teams but also functions as everyday clothing, with the three-stripes identity linking technical garments to adidas’s lifestyle business. Includes jerseys, training wear, running apparel, sports underwear, and other athletic clothing for competitive sport, fitness, and everyday use.
Football
Football equipment
Football is a foundational adidas category comprising boots, official match balls, club and national-team kits, goalkeeper products, training wear and accessories. The brand’s visibility in major international competitions has made football one of its most established performance and sponsorship areas.
Lifestyle
Lifestyle footwear and apparel
Lifestyle products reinterpret adidas sports archives for casual and fashion-oriented use. Samba, Superstar and Stan Smith are prominent examples of footwear with broad cultural recognition, while lifestyle apparel uses the trefoil, three stripes and retro sports styling across streetwear and everyday wardrobes. Footwear and apparel for everyday wear and street-culture settings, often adapting the brand’s sports design language through classics, fashion collaborations, and cultural partnerships.
Digital fitness · 2005
Connected fitness products
adidas has pursued digital fitness through connected footwear experiments and the acquisition of Runtastic. These activities extend the brand beyond physical goods into exercise tracking, training content and digital engagement.
Sports shoes
Athletic footwear
One of adidas’s core categories, covering running, football, basketball, training, tennis, and everyday lifestyle use while combining performance features with the brand’s recognizable design language.
Sports equipment
Sporting equipment
Equipment and accessories for football, training, outdoor activities, and other sports, complementing adidas’s footwear and apparel businesses.
Controversies
Marketing campaigns
- 2015McDonald’s All-American uniforms
United States
adidas supplied uniforms for the McDonald’s All-American high-school basketball event, using lightweight, breathable construction associated with its basketball apparel.
Outcome. Reinforced adidas visibility in American youth basketball.
- 2004adidas by Stella McCartney
International
adidas launched a women’s sports-performance collection with designer Stella McCartney, combining technical sports apparel with fashion design and helping broaden the brand’s reach among women’s consumers.
Outcome. Created a long-running performance-fashion partnership.
- 1954World Cup football performance promotion
Germany · Europe · International football markets
The West German national team wore adidas boots during its 1954 World Cup campaign, including the final. The boots’ removable studs became associated with adaptability and technical football performance.
Outcome. Strengthened adidas’s international football positioning.
- 1936Olympic athlete product seeding
United States · Germany · International sports markets
Dassler supplied and promoted handmade athletic spikes to elite competitors, including Jesse Owens at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Owens’s success gave the young athletic-shoe business substantial international visibility.
Outcome. Helped establish the Dassler name in competitive athletics.
Brand decisions
2023
Leadership transition under Bjørn GuldenStrategyBackground
adidas announced a leadership change following the planned departure of Kasper Rørsted amid a period of strategic and brand pressure.
Action taken
Bjørn Gulden became chief executive in January 2023.
Aftermath
The new leadership focused on restoring product relevance, improving commercial execution and rebuilding relationships with consumers and partners.
2022
End Ye partnership and discontinue Yeezy productionStrategyBackground
Controversial public remarks by Ye created reputational and commercial pressure on the partnership.
Action taken
adidas immediately terminated the partnership and stopped producing Yeezy products.
Aftermath
The company managed remaining inventory and disclosed continuing commercial consequences associated with the discontinued business.
2006
Acquire ReebokM&ABackground
adidas aimed to increase scale and competitiveness, particularly in North America.
Action taken
The company completed the acquisition of Reebok.
Aftermath
Reebok was subsequently sold to Authentic Brands Group in 2022.
1997
Acquire Salomon GroupM&ABackground
adidas sought to broaden its sports portfolio into outdoor, winter sports and golf.
Action taken
The company acquired Salomon, gaining businesses including TaylorMade and Maxfli, and changed its corporate name to adidas-Salomon AG.
Aftermath
The portfolio was later simplified: Salomon was sold in 2005 and TaylorMade was sold in 2017.
Recent events
- 2025
adidas extends the “You Got This” campaign around sideline pressure[9]
Campaign
The campaign extension used athlete and mentor stories to address self-doubt and pressure in sport, supported by video, out-of-home, digital, social and retail activity.
- 2025
Adidas forecast slower growth and cautious operating-profit outlook[10]
Other
The company indicated that currency-neutral sales growth would be below the strong 2024 rate and issued a cautious operating-profit outlook amid geopolitical and tariff uncertainty.
- 2024
Adidas launches Ultraboost 5 campaign in Israel with Kim Or Azoulay[11]
Product launch · Campaign
The Israeli launch of the Ultraboost 5 running shoe used television presenter and actress Kim Or Azoulay as a local campaign partner and highlighted the Tel Aviv adidas Runners community. The campaign emphasized revised cushioning, energy return, and the use of recycled materials.
- 2024
Greater China returns to double-digit growth[12]
Other
Reporting on adidas’s 2024 results described renewed growth in Greater China, supported by local product development, closer partner engagement and stronger footwear performance.
- 2024
Remaining Yeezy inventory is cleared[12]
Product generation · Other
The company reported that remaining Yeezy inventory had been sold by the fourth quarter of 2024, closing a prolonged inventory-management episode.
- 2024
Adidas Japan appointed Kohei Hagio as representative director[13]
Leadership change
Adidas Japan announced Hagio’s appointment effective 15 September 2024, citing his experience across product development, sales, retail, and sports marketing.
- 2023
Bjørn Gulden begins tenure as adidas chief executive[14]
Leadership change
Bjørn Gulden took office at the start of 2023 and led a reset focused on sport, product franchises, inventory discipline, wholesale relationships and local market execution.
- 2023
Adidas and Manchester United extended their sponsorship agreement[15]
Other
Manchester United announced a new ten-year extension of its sponsorship relationship with Adidas.
- 2022
Bjørn Gulden appointed chief executive[1]
Leadership change
adidas announced that Kasper Rørsted would leave the chief executive role and that Bjørn Gulden would succeed him in 2023.
- 2022
adidas ends Yeezy partnership and manages remaining inventory[12]
Product generation
The termination of the Yeezy relationship created a major inventory and portfolio-management challenge. adidas subsequently sold remaining products rather than continuing the collaboration.
Showing the 10 most recent.
Sources32 sources
- 1Adidasen.wikipedia.org
- 2adidas historyadidas-group.com
- 3adidas terminates partnership with Yeadidas-group.com
- 4adidas Group — Management Boardadidas-group.com
- 5adidas Group — Company profileadidas-group.com
- 6Adidas apologizes over Bella Hadid SL 72 campaign controversyynet.co.il
- 7Bella Hadid responds after removal from SL 72 campaignkan.org.il
- 8Termination of Yeezy relationship after Ye’s public remarkswwdjapan.com
- 9adidas extends the “You Got This” campaign around sideline pressuremarketingdive.com
- 10Adidas forecast slower growth and cautious operating-profit outlookjp.reuters.com
- 11Adidas launches Ultraboost 5 campaign in Israel with Kim Or Azoulayice.co.il
- 12Greater China returns to double-digit growthhuxiu.com
- 13Adidas Japan appointed Kohei Hagio as representative directoradidas-group.jp
- 14Bjørn Gulden begins tenure as adidas chief executivefinance.sina.com.cn
- 15Adidas and Manchester United extended their sponsorship agreementreuters.com
- 16Adidas appointed Bjorn Gulden as chief executive officerfashionsnap.com
- 17阿迪达斯关闭德国和美国机器人工厂，转移至中国和越南finance.sina.com.cn
- 18阿迪达斯推出UltraBOOST GHOUL系列跑鞋prnasia.com
- 19阿迪达斯携手大卫-贝克汉姆联合推出ULTRABOOST 19 DB99跑鞋prnasia.com
- 20阿迪达斯宣布关闭德美智能工厂 生产将回归亚洲finance.sina.com.cn
- 21阿迪达斯宣布关闭德美智能工厂 生产将回归亚洲_杭州网news.hangzhou.com.cn
- 22多元娛樂與運動需求升溫！Belkin 打造多情境科技配件生態系全新推出 Nintendo Switch 2 系列配件 升級遊戲體驗 | 蕃新聞n.yam.com
- 23申洲宣布：投资7亿元在越南建阿迪达斯专属服装工厂finance.sina.com.cn
- 24Adidas commits to reduce carbon, water & waste footprintfibre2fashion.com
- 25Adidas launches new fragrance that IMPROVES your workoutdailymail.com
- 26Adidas Officially Unveils Damian Lillard’s New Shoe, the Dame 6blazersedge.com
- 27Adidas opens its Portland Employee Store to Public before Black Friday | JAM'N 107.5jamn1075.iheart.com
- 28Adidas Partners With NASA To Produce Boost Midsoles On The ISSin.mashable.com
- 29Adidas刚宣布新代言人刘亦菲 香港店就被暴徒砸了-香港商報hkcd.com
- 30Adidas刚宣布新代言人是刘亦菲，在香港的店就被暴徒砸了…china.huanqiu.com
- 31Beyonce teams up with Adidas to launch gender-neutral collection | Dunya Newsdunyanews.tv
- 32EA Sports获阿迪达斯独家赞助 运动品牌杀入电竞市场finance.sina.com.cn
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