Lifestyle: adidas addiction

adidas with a lower case ‘a’. It’s not the first brand to achieve the cross over from sports shoe to leisure shoe. That was achieved by Converse ‘Chuck Ts’, the famous canvas baseball boot in the 1930s. But no other brand has been able to mix elegant economy of design and state-of-the-art technology with achingly desirable sporty footwear silhouettes as effectively as adidas. In fact, in my opinion, no other brand, with the possible exception of arch rival Puma – once owned by the brother of adidas founder Adi Dassler – comes even close.

It is therefore not surprising that adidas is considered to be probably the leading brand in terms of innovation and design in all of its particular lines, and that the famous three parallel striped logo has become synonymous with quality, style and success.

Known, admired and desired across the world, from passionate UK football fans to American hip hop gangsta’s, adidas has captured the imaginations and the footwear fantasies of generations. Like the best of iconic brands, they have managed to cross barriers of time, class, creed and culture, to become as cool to New York slum tenement teenagers as they are to Oxford educated baby boomer dads.

Yes, they make excellent sports shoes and of course, sportswear, but more than any other brand, adidas championed the ‘sports shoe as lifestyle’ concept by becoming a revered street shoe of limitless reinvention.

Adi Dassler

It all started as adidas’ future founder Adi Dassler made trainers in his mother’s old laundry room in the 1920s, sparking a passion and expertise for sports footwear. His older brother Rudi joined him and for a while they worked together.

When the 1936 Summer Olympics were held in Berlin, Adi Dassler drove from Bavaria on one of the world’s first motorways to the Olympic village. He carried with him a suitcase full of running spikes and persuaded U.S. sprinter Jesse Owens to use them, the first sponsorship for an African American.

How many African Americans have bought and worshipped at the feet of adidas since that time is probably incalculable. Had Adolf Hitler had an inkling that a German brand had helped an African American to achieve such a haul of gold, Adi Dassler may not have survived to tell the tale. Hitler was so disgusted at Owens’ convincing victories that he walked out of the stadium.

Following Owens’s haul of four gold medals, his success cemented the good reputation of Dassler shoes among the world’s most famous sportsmen. Interest for adidas shoes poured in from all over the world. Trainers of national teams were all eager to get their hands on their shoes. adidas blossomed and the Dasslers were selling 200,000 pairs of shoes each year before World War II.

Over the years tension developed between the two brothers, to the point that in 1947 the brothers split up. Rudi formed a new firm that he called Ruda – from Rudolf Dassler, later rebranded Puma. Puma and adidas entered a fierce and bitter rivalry after the split. The town of Herzogenaurach, where both brands are still based, was divided on the issue, leading to the nickname “the town of bent necks”— because people looked down to see which shoes strangers were wearing.

Fast forward to the 70s and adidas started to design a range of classic shoe silhouettes that have remained closely linked with the brand ever since as cherished iconic designs.

Today, these shapes are known as adidas Originals and they have become adidas leisure and lifestyle shoes. It’s this vast range of shoes, which provide eager customers from all walks of life with comfortable, durable footwear in sleek silhouettes and with the most inventive range of colourways that change from season to season.

We could feature hundreds of different models here past and present and still not scratch the surface of how adidas constantly changes its range.

While adidas has many well known brand ambassadors to promote its range across several sports, legendary English footballer David Beckham, perhaps more than anyone else, has become the face of the brand.

It’s probably fair to say Beckham, who admits to being an obsessive compulsive, is addicted to adidas. He is constantly captured in hundreds of photographs wearing adidas shoes, and hardly, if ever, gets caught wearing the same pair twice.

Here then, is just a tiny taster of some of the world’s most beloved and collectable casual street shoes. To understand the breathtaking scope and depth of the brand just surf the net and see how much choice there is out there.

adidas Orginals Dragon Shoes

This is the shoe that really started the enduring legend of adidas as not just a sports shoe but a lifestyle shoe. This lightweight runner has been a fan favourite since the ’70s. Now the adidas Dragon shoe is re-released in classic retro colours, with a suede and mesh upper, the mandatory 3-Stripes at the side, and a contrasting wedge midsole.

adidas Adicolor G6 Superstar Staten Island

Designed by Manhattan-based artist Bill McMullen, this adidas adicolor G6 Superstar ‘Staten Island’ is a tribute to the greenest borough of New York City. It is the sixth model of the green series in the adicolor ‘colors’ 2006 collection, and the color appears in a light and dark shade on the laces, three stripes on the side, upper heel detail, and adidas branding. The uniquely New York accent is the graphic of the Statue of Liberty holding an adidas torch, which is imprinted near the heel and on the tongue with the shoe name.

adidas Originals Superstar 80s

The adidas Originals Superstar 80s trainer was the first low-top leather basketball shoe to be made in 1969. This stylish and chunky fitting shoe was soon adopted by icons of the hip-hop scene. The shoe adopted the nicknames “shelltoe” or “shell shoes” because of its rubber shell toe piece. The adidas Superstar’s iconic design has earned the shoe a reputation of being one of the major influences in trainer culture.

The styling and chunky fit of the adidas Superstar was – and still is – adopted by heroes of the hip-hop scene. The strong endorsement of the shoe by rap group Run-DMC helped the shoe reach its own individual status.

adidas Samba

No adidas list would be complete without the much loved adidas Samba. They are the biggest selling adidas shoe of all time. Introduced in 1950 they set the blueprint for all sneakers to follow. A favourite of five-a-side footballers and 80s terrace casuals alike and they are still worshipped today. This disarmingly simple design classic deftly defines adidas’ skill in creating trainers the world adores.

adidas Gazelle

adidas Gazelles were first released in 1968 as a training shoe and were another huge favourite with UK football fans. Since then, they have become a popular fashion choice, too.

The slim and graceful silhouette characterises the adidas Gazelle. Although mostly produced in suede, the shoe is also made in materials such as hemp and leather.

This elegant trainer has been released in hundreds upon hundreds of colour variations over the years, with bright and often improbable colour pairings being among the most popular. The design is a flat vulcanised outsole allowing free movement and flexibility, and the oversized football boot style tongue. The inimitable 3-Stripes mark features serrated edges and features ‘Gazelle’ on the side panel, vertically over the first stripe, while the adidas Trefoil logo is found on the tongue and heel tab.

adidas Originals ZX 750

The men’s adidas Originals ZX 750 shoes take the look and feel of ’80s middle distance running shoes, and build in a textile and suede upper for a modern touch. The shoes feature an air mesh lining, EVA cushioning and a stable heel counter.

adidas Stan Smith

Another legendary design first introduced in 1965. This was the first all-leather tennis shoe, originally endorsed by France’s Robert Haillet. It was only renamed the Stan Smith in 1971 after the US tennis player became famous in the late Sixties. Smith won Wimbledon in 1972. The shoes have since become more famous than the self effacing man they are named for. They continue to be one of the most popular adidas shapes and are produced in a vast range of colours and interpretations.

adidas Porsche Design Sport Bounce

adidas does not only depend on retro styles. These Porsche Design shoes are right up to the minute. Designed as running shoes, they will inevitably find their way onto the high street. The sports-car creative suspension system transforms vertical power into forward propulsion while providing leading-edge cushioning, elasticity and stability.

adidas Freefootball Supersala Shoes

Indoor football remains a highly popular sport and these shoes have a super-lightweight upper and mesh ventilation that navigates all sides of the court. Again, they are worn just as much on the street as they are on the indoor football court.

adidas and David Beckham

The David Beckham Range for adidas is part of the O by O collection. Designed by James Bond from Undefeated, the collection boasts key items for modern living, and include trainers, hooded tops and trousers.

Neo Bball Mid Db Leather

David Beckham works closely with James Bond (the designer, not the secret agent) on the design of the shoes that bear his name. Inspired by Beckham’s sporty yet refined sense of style, these adidas NEO BBall Mid David Beckham shoes are fashioned from nubuck and shiny leather with the football star’s logo on the tongue badge.

adidas ObyO Doley Lux David Beckham shoes

Another James Bond/David Beckham design, in two tone waxy leather. This is adidas’ budget priced take on a Vans style plimsoll. The ‘doley’ in the name is said to refer to British dole queues.

Which watch for adidas shoes?

There’s really only one watch brand that can keep up with the constantly shifting colourways of adidas, and yet look equally fashionable and sporty, and believe me, it’s not adidas. adidas make great sports shoes, but not great watches.

No, what you need is the G-Shock.

Despised by watch snobs, G-Shocks are super tough, super reliable and packed with features. They also change their colours and combinations more often than a turbo charged chameleon, so it makes it easy to team up your G-shock with your adidas trainers for a winning combination of cool footwear and dependable timekeeping.