Adidas is a brand known worldwide, yet the story behind its famous three-stripes design remains unknown to many.
Walking down any main street in Europe, you’re bound to see the three stripes adorning various items: sneakers, jackets, tracksuits, fitness attire, handbags, and numerous unique accessories.
As the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe and the second largest globally due to Nike taking the lead, Adidas has its headquarters in Germany.
The brand is renowned for its collaborations, such as those with Kanye West’s Yeezy line on Boost Sneakers, and for outfitting professional footballers during the FIFA World Cup, among other partnerships.
American enthusiasm for the brand began when Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, the company’s founders, convinced US sprinter Jesse Owens to wear their custom spiked running shoes at the 1936 Summer Olympics.
Despite joining the Nazi party during World War Two, the Dassler brothers’ factory was spared by occupying American soldiers, who believed their sole interest was in making sports shoes.
By 1949, the brothers had a falling out. Adolf decided to pursue his own vision, registering Adidas AG—derived from Adi Dassler—and thus creating Adidas. Meanwhile, Rudolf launched his own brand, initially called Ruda, now known as Puma.
Initially concentrating on sports shoes, Adidas’s first logo featured a spiked shoe positioned between lines extending from the two d’s in Adidas, resembling a goal post.
The shoe, of course, bore the iconic three-stripes, emphasizing the importance of this design on every shoe.
According to an Adidas blog, the ‘distinctive stripes’ hold significance beyond aesthetics and sporty appeal, without any numerological implications.
“They ended up on the first pair of adidas shoes after Dassler had tested several versions and numbers of stripes and found that three simply showed up most prominently in photography—an important factor for a new-to-the-scene sports gear brand hoping to make a splash,” the brand states.
“Clearly it worked, as the 3-Stripes continues to be a world-famous trademark that symbolizes Adidas.”
It wasn’t until 1972 that Adidas expanded from footwear into the apparel market, introducing a new logo in the process.
The Trefoil logo, with its three leaf-shaped designs, was created by a collaborative team of Adidas leaders and designers, with the three-stripes incorporated into the leaves.
This logo appeared on Adidas clothing from 1972 and on shoes starting in 1976, remaining in use until 2000 when it was designated for Adidas Originals products.
Now you’re informed!