Adidas
The German Brand Adidas was named after their founder Adolf Dassler (his nickname was „Adi“) and the first three letters of his last name. His brother Rudolf Dassler helped him founding the company but later formed the rival company PUMA. Today Adidas is the second largest sporting goods manufacturer in the world.
Their designs sport usually the three parallel stripes in the same color which is also part of the official Adidas logo.
The first time Adidas gained worldwide recognition was after the German soccer team won the world cup of 1954 while wearing Adidas’s unique sneakers which were the first one’s with studs and screws that helped them on the slippery and wet ground during the final match against Hungary. After that a time of ups and downs followed. Adidas gained again worldwide attention during the 1980s when Run DMC not only wore Adidas shoes but also made a song about them. In the video for the song “My Adidas” the members of Run DMC rock Adidas Superstars a shoe which remained popular ever since in the Hip Hop and scene.
Early in 2006 Adidas bought Reebok to extend their market reach in America and strengthen their position against their main competitor Nike. The new formed Adidas Group consists of the following brands:
- Adidas
- Adidas Sport Performance (Sportshoes and -clothing)
- Adidas Sport Heritage (Retro-Lifestyle-Brand)
- Adidas Sport Style (Fashion)
- Rockport
- Reebok International Ltd. (Sportshoes and -clothing)
- TaylorMade-Adidas Golf
- TaylorMade (Golfcubs and -accessories)
- Adidas Golf (Golfshoes and -clothing)
- Maxfli (Golfballs and -accessories)
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