75 years of adidas: From a Franconian crafts business to a global player in the world of sport

adidas came to being on August 18, 1949, with just 47 employees working for the sporting goods company in the small Franconian town of Herzogenaurach, Germany. 75 years later, the company now has over 59,000 employees with a business footprint that covers every continent. With sales of € 21.4 billion in 2023, adidas is one of the largest sporting goods companies in the world. The driving force behind this success is still the innovative spirit of its founder, Adolf ‘Adi’ Dassler (November 3, 1900 – September 6, 1978). Adi’s desire to create game-changing products for athletes first became apparent in the early 1920s, when he began experimenting in his mother’s laundry room and in 1924, he founded the ‘Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik’ together with his brother, Rudolf. In 1932 and 1933, he perfected his skills at the renowned technical shoemaking college in Pirmasens.

Founded on innovation

In 1948, the brothers parted ways and Adi Dassler registered the adidas brand the following year. When the German national football team surprised everyone by winning the 1954 World Cup in Berne, Switzerland, the brand with the 3-Stripes suddenly gained worldwide fame. The innovative, lightweight football boots with interchangeable screw-in studs worn by the German team were far superior to the conventional heavy football boots of the time.

Adi continued to pursue his dream of helping athletes perform at their very best, with the aid of new and innovative products. The padded football boots that helped Uwe Seeler get back on the pitch following an Achilles tendon injury achieved much acclaim, as did the shoes in which Heide Ecker-Rosendahl ran and jumped her way to two Olympic gold medals in Munich in 1972, thanks to the small suction cups featured on the soles.

From the archives to the runway

Both Seeler’s and Ecker-Rosendahl’s shoes are now stored in optimal conditions in the company’s archive. Maintained at a constant temperature of 18 degrees Celsius and 55 percent humidity, the 40,000 items in the collection – which covers almost 100 years of sporting history – continue to provide a great source of inspiration for adidas designers. In fact, many of adidas’ current products have their roots in the past. Most recently, the adidas Samba took the fashion world by storm, although few remember that it started out as a football shoe designed to be worn in icy conditions. Other shoes from the archives such as the Stan Smith and the Superstar have been relaunched in various iterations over recent decades, with both shoes boasting a wealth of committed followers. As a result, adidas became one of the first sporting goods companies to make waves in the lifestyle sector. Much of this continued success can be attributed to the collaborations adidas has had over the years, including its long-term partnerships with Japanese designer Yoshi Yamamoto, musician Pharrell Williams and most recently with Italian fashion houses Gucci and Prada.

75 years of innovation: continuing to push boundaries

While adidas has established a firm footing in the fashion industry, sport and Adi Dassler’s spirit of innovation will forever be the beating heart of the company, and the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 is testament to this. Launched in 2023, the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 is the lightest, fastest and most advanced running shoe adidas has ever developed, providing elite runners with the highest performing materials and technologies on race day, weighing in at just 138 grams. These include a new cutting-edge outsole, a reimagined version of adidas' record-breaking Lightstrike Pro foam technology, a new lightweight upper, made from a new mesh material and a forefoot rocker that extends to 60% of the length of the shoe to trigger forward momentum. In the first nine months following its release, the shoe helped adidas athletes achieve two world records and 15 victories, which include four national records, four course records, and two championship records.

Adi Dassler in the squad base at the FIFA World Cup™ in Bern 1954.