We live in the 21st Century with countless logos, brands, and corporate identities. You’re likely to see hundreds of logos in your daily life if you live in a large city. Despite the widespread popularity of branding culture, very few companies make it to the point where their logos are part of the mainstream vocabulary like adidas. Their presence is almost as common as the presence of trees, cars, or buildings. They are so embedded in the landscape that you don’t stop to wonder where they came.
Perhaps you’ve heard of the Nike logo being created for $35 or the legend that Alan Turing committed suicide after eating an apple laced in cyanide. The bite mark was to indicate scale to avoid the logo being misinterpreted as a smaller one such as a cherry. However, there is one brand whose story hasn’t been told enough: the brand with the three stripes.
The Adidas Three Stripes
This could be because the adidas logo is older than most consumer and promotional culture. It actually predates adidas. We need to have a little history to help us understand the 3 stripes in all their forms.
Adolf Dassler, the younger brother of Rudolf, was born to a shoe factory worker and began making shoes in 1924. Gebruder Dassler Schuhfabrik, a company owned by the Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory, was founded in Herzogenaurach. It began making basic running spikes. The shoe’s structure was provided by two stripes on the medial and lateral sides. It is important to remember that the adidas logo was created from practicality and function, not aesthetics. It was a distinct point of difference that marked the athletes’ competitions. This wasn’t a disadvantage. However, this functional element is still the core of the 3-stripes branding.
The company did well in the years that followed. However, World War II broke out in 1939. Like most German manufacturers of the time, the Dasslers were recruited into the war effort. Their factories were requisitioned to be used for military production. Rudolf believed Adi had brought him in to the Allied Forces as a member the Waffen SS. Adi made a casual comment as he entered a bomb shelter, causing a rift that has never been repaired. They would separate in 1947 with Rudolf starting RuDa, later rebranded as PUMA, and Adi starting adidas. This was a modified version of Adi Dassler’s name.
Adi was unable to use the signature stripes from his old company when he started his new business. Solution? The solution? Adding another one in the middle. This creates the iconic 3-stripes mark, which graces almost every adidas product in some form.
It would seem that the story was over. But, Dassler discovered that another brand had already registered the 3-stripes trademark for his brand. It turned out that Karhu, a small Finnish brand of sportswear (which has recently seen a revival in sneaker community popularity) had already registered the 3-stripes mark in their name.
The Finnish label was able to sell the trademark to adidas. What was the price? In today’s currency, it is approximately EUR1600 Two bottles of whiskey. This was a traditional approach to negotiation but it was worth it considering the importance of the mark to adidas. Even in the beginning days of the brand Dassler used the term “the 3-stripes brand” to describe his brand. This was a hint at how synonymous adidas would become with those three straight lines.
Adidas would continue to make progress in the early days of performance footwear. This was in the 1950s and 1960s. They introduced gradual improvements in materials, ergonomics, and structural design. Performance footwear was only really elevated when EVA rubber and modern materials were introduced in the 1970s.
Blue Ribbon Sports, a company based in Oregon, had been importing running sneakers from Japan Onitsuka Tiger into the USA. They were a huge success and BRS would later rebrand themselves as Nike. The rivalry between adidas back in Germany and PUMA was still fierce.
adidas decided to rebrand and create a dynamic logo that communicated their brand’s multifaceted, diverse and inclusive nature. The trefoil logo, which consists of three leaves that branch out in a plant-like fashion, and the original 3-stripes mark running horizontally across them, was created. The brand used it as its core logo for over 20 years before moving to a newer design. The trefoil today is the logo of Originals, adidas’ heritage division. It releases iconic models such as the Superstar or Stan Smith as well as collaborations that reflect the brand’s cultural history and style impact.
adidas needed to rethink their brand identity, just as cultural shifts in 1970s required a shift of brand focus. In the 1990s, adidas saw rapid advancements in footwear tech. After the success of the ZX series of futuristic footwear, adidas launched the Equipment footwear line in the early 1990s. This new line of progressive performance models was designed to address the needs of athletes in various situations.
This renewed focus on performance and tech was what inspired the triangular 3-stripes logo (now called the Equipment logo). The logo, which is shaped like a mountain and represents the “challenge to be faced” and the “goals to be reached”.
Adidas Diversifies
This phase would also see functional elements of the 3-stripes motif brought to the forefront through a variety of design styles. Many EQT models integrated the 3-stripes symbol into the shoe’s lacing system to create straps that wrapped around your foot when you lace them. 2002’s futuristic ClimaCool model turned the 3-stripes into TPU panels that structure the lightweight mesh design.
In the years to come, adidas would feature the Equipment logo on many of its new releases. The trefoil was still used for legacy releases. If you are interested in exploring more creative uses of the 3-stripes logo, then many of adidas’ basketball releases from the late ’90s to early ’00s should be viewed.
The performance footwear sector has not been known for its conservative aesthetics. adidas’ basketball offering really pushed the 3-stripes identity beyond its limits. It transformed the simple three-stripe motif into ankle straps and heel cages as well as rubberized panels and other bizarre design elements. The 1992 Mutombo and 1998 EQT Vapor are my personal favorites. Their mind-boggling midsole design, raindrop-like stripes marks, and stupendous midsole design may be too futuristic for today’s standards. Don’t forget the adidas Real Deal and Kobe Bryant’s adidas signature models, the KB1 and KB8. The adidas stripes are also prominently featured on many other sports team kits.
adidas made subtle branding changes throughout the 2000s. In 2001 adidas officially established adidas Originals and slowly phased out the Equipment logo. The brand’s corporate identity was simplified to a simple adidas text logo with three horizontal stripes.
The adidas Style logo is the latest version of adidas’ 3-stripes branding. It depicts a circular shape intertwined with three claw-like stripes. The Style subdivision oversees adidas’ fashion-focused endeavors such as the Yohji Yamamoto/Adidas SLVR collaboration line. Although it has been implemented in some retail stores, it isn’t used as often as other adidas logos.
Funny story aside, one of the most fascinating stories about the adidas 3-stripes comes from a time they were not technically present. The brand has been an Olympic sponsor for many years and enjoys the promotional and advertising benefits that go with it.
Other sponsors and sportswear companies complained that adidas’ uniforms with 3-stripes details were in violation of IOC regulations regarding the size of branding details. The IOC banned adidas’ 3-stripes from the 2006 Winter Games despite adidas claiming that they were a design element and not logo branding. adidas refused to give up and transformed the 3-stripes into an entirely new motif made from repeating 3s. The segments were arranged in a manner that resembles the 3-stripes.
History has shown that adidas’ dedication to the 3-stripes insignia is paying off. It is now one of the most well-known brands in the world. However, a big name doesn’t only require commitment. It also requires defense. The brand has been relentless in its fight against anyone or any entity that attempts to infringe on their trademark over the years.
This has been a problem for big retailers such as Forever 21 who were caught on numerous occasions copying the adidas logo. Forever 21 used an ambiguous 4stripe mark. In some cases, the brand even copied the adidas 3-stripes mark by positioning it in the same places as the adidas 3-stripes mark. Marc Jacobs was also taken to court for doing the exact same thing a few years ago.
A lot of sports footwear brands have been subject to the same fate as Nike’s legal department for using those stripes. Nike has sometimes filed pre-emptive suits to justify their use of two stripes details on their apparel in anticipation of lawsuits. adidas would not ignore this. You can be sued for copyright infringement but it’s another thing when others are filing suits before you have even seen anything.
It’s fascinating to look at adidas’ modification and manipulation of its core identity throughout the history of the 3-stripes. adidas could argue that adidas using multiple branding elements will have made it more difficult to be recognized as an iconic brand in the same way that a brand that picks a logo and sticks with it no matter what.
However, the 3-stripes have allowed adidas to claim its place in many different corners of culture. This includes music, fashion, art, sport, and athletics. adidas was adopted by many subcultures, including hip-hop, graffiti and skateboarding, and continued to produce forward-thinking performance shoes designs. It must have been difficult to keep all these different groups under one roof, even though the trefoil logo was meant to represent adidas’ diversity.
You know your brand is in a moment when Stella McCartney and Kanye West collaborate with you – Adidas is that brand. It’s no surprise that Adidas’s current success is a result of its long history. Adidas has moved beyond producing only athletic footwear to incorporating its apparel and shoes into popular culture. The famous Trefoil logo is a success story that will only get better.
Gebruder Dassler Schuhfabrik was founded by Adolf Dassler and brothers Rudolf Dassler in their small Bavarian town in 1924. Their mission? Their mission was to create athletic shoes using their experiences as amateur athletes. Adolf drove with spikes to Olympic Village in 1936 to try to persuade Olympic athletes to wear his shoes. Jesse Owens was impressed by Adolf’s pair of shoes, which were remarkably light and made from handmade spikes. This sponsorship was the first for African Americans in athletics. Athletes around the world were asking for the shoes of Jesse Owens, who won gold at 1936 Berlin Olympics.
The Dassler brothers split after many disputes during WWII. Rudolf would later form Puma while Adolf would create a portmanteau from his nickname, Adi, and his surname “Dassler”, to create Adidas, which he registered in 1949. Adidas purchased its trademark three-bar logo from another company in 1952 for EUR1600 and two whiskey bottles.
Adidas was a household name after the 1954 World Cup Final win by the German National Football Team. Many of the players were wearing Adidas shoes. The unlikely victory of Germany against Hungary catapulted both Adidas and the German National Team into international attention.
The Adidas brand saw further transformations in 1967. Adidas’s first piece of apparel, a Franz Beckenbauer tracksuit, was launched in 1967. This was a significant decision for the company. The sleek model, named after the German footballer Franz Beckenbauer, combined style with practicality and opened up the doors to Adidas’s apparel ventures.
Adidas expanded its range of athletic shoes into other sports in the 1970s. Although apparel production grew, the emphasis was more on fashion than utilitarianism. T-shirts, shorts and other sportswear were covered in bold graphics that featured the Adidas trefoil logo. In disco culture, tracksuits were a big hit. It was common to see an Adidas tracksuit on the dancefloor. Adi Dassler died in 1978. Horst, his son, would take Adidas into the 1980s with a stronger focus on apparel.
The 1980s saw a fitness boom. Athleticwear became fashionable and practical as well as more stylish thanks to better tailoring and synthetic fabrics such Gore-Tex. Jazzercise was not the only area Adidas excelled in. Adidas was regaining the respect of hip hop stars. The tracksuits were comfortable to wear and the vibrant colors and graphics fit the bold stylings of hip-hop. American hip-hop group Run DMC released “my adidas” as a single. The band also displayed Adidas shoes before a crowd of over 40,000 people at a concert. Adidas was approved for street fashion and received one of the first sponsorships from a sportswear company that wasn’t athletic.
Financial Hurdles
The company was in financial difficulties in the early 1990s. Horst Dassler’s passing left the company without a clear leader and it suffered huge losses in 1992. Adidas returned to its former glory days after Robert Louis-Dreyfus assumed the helm. The Gazelle, one of Adidas’s most iconic shoes, was made or reissued by the company during this period. This shoe was loved by models, Britpop stars and hip-hop musicians. Adidas was a favourite of Jay-Z and Diddy who established the idea of being wealthy without having to dress up. The casual, soccer-oriented audience in the UK loved Adidas because it was stylish and easily accessible.
In the 2000s, Adidas saw a boom in sales. Adidas sought collaborations with fashion icons like Stella McCartney and Mary Katrantzou. Adidas’ casual lifestyle promotes a tracksuit, which is making a comeback in Grime. Adidas is a brand that has grown from a small town in Bavaria into a leader in athleisure fashion.
This multi-faceted approach to branding identity, which creates different logos for different purposes, is what led to the origin of the 3-stripes. The 3-stripes have been adaptable and translated into many contexts, just as a practical, functional design element evolved into a global corporate brand identity. You can see why the brand is so committed to protecting it. It is a versatile, practical and flexible branding that is easy to understand. Because when you see apparel, sneakers, or sportswear with three of any item, your mind automatically goes to that one. This is a level that you can’t buy.
