Earning Their Stripes
© adidas Archive
During the 1960s , adidas established its reputation for producing the best sneakers in the world with advanced machinery , superior materials , and unsurpassed craftsmanship . By the early 1970s , the brand ’ s impact reached a global scale as the overwhelming majority of Olympic track and field athletes and World Cup soccer players wore the three stripes in competition . Founder Adi Dasler ’ s son , Horst , also began manufacturing in France a full-grain leather basketball sneaker named the Superstar . Prior to its introduction , professional players were still wearing the same vulcanized canvas styles that hadn ’ t been updated in fifty years . adidas ’ use of exotic materials like red and blue kangaroo suede was eye-catching and the perfect look for the emerging American Basketball Association . The face of the game was changing and it now had an Afro on it . The range of new basketball sneakers including the Tournament , Americana , and Promodel were a fashion statement both on and off the court .
In Europe the brand began growing through another sport : soccer . adidas was making the most sought-after soccer cleats and equipment in the world . As young European players traveled to other countries to participate in amateur tournaments , they would often spot new training and running sneakers that weren ’ t available back home . adidas was manufacturing over 140 different models by the mid 1970s and couldn ’ t distribute each one to every country . Many of the popular styles overlapped , but a large number varied between the French , English , and Danish catalogs . Today , kids wake up early and try to beat internet bots in order to procure the rarest sneakers . Back
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