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Believe it or not, Adidas has now been around for a full century. Founded by Adolf ‘Adi’ Dassler back in 1924, it was originally called Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik, which literally translates to ‘Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory’ in English. The other brother in question was Rudolf Dassler, who, after some serious family beef, decided to start up his own sportswear brand – but that's a story for another day.
Over the past one hundred years, the Herzogenaurach-based company has transformed from a running shoe maker all the way to the sneaker and streetwear powerhouse that we all know of today. In fact, according to the latest statistics, Adidas is the fifth largest apparel brand in the world, with a value of over $15 billion.
It goes without saying, but the Three Stripes wouldn't be what it is today without the countless collaborations that've been released over the past couple of decades. From music stars like Bad Bunny and Pharrell Williams, to style icons such as Ronnie Fieg and Yohji Yamamoto, Adidas is home to some of the best partnerships out there. And, while this isn't an exhaustive list of every single one of them, these are without a doubt some of the greatest collabs, like, of all time.
The relationship between A Bathing Ape and Adidas begins all the way back in 2003. Back then, the Japanese streetwear label was celebrating its 10th birthday (wild, considering it just turned 30), and to commemorate this major milestone they released the ‘Super Ape Star’ collection. Taking on the German sportswear company's ever-popular Superstar silhouette, BAPE revealed four unique colourways that are still considered to be grails even after all this time.
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Bad Bunny is one of the latest big names to join Adidas, and even though he's only been part of the team since 2021, his sneakers have quickly become some of the brand's most hyped. From the Campus to the Response CL, the Puerto Rican rapper's most popular pair has got to be his take on the Forum Low, which comes complete with extra thiccc padding, chunkier dimensions, and a rollercoaster buckle for a utilitarian-inspired aesthetic.
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If you're looking for classic shoes with a modern twist, then Blondey McCoy is all over the brief. Since 2019, the London-based fashion icon/model/skateboarder has worked on a total of 11 colourways, all of which have been revamped with sleek new materials including ripstop nylon and TPU that you can totally see through. Of course, it goes without saying, but each of these pretty much sold out within seconds of dropping. No one's surprised.
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In 2023, after almost two decades working together, Clot said goodbye to Nike with a big bang. While sneakerheads were left devastated by this news, they were pleasantly surprised when the Edison Chen-helmed imprint announced that it was joining the Three Stripes instead. Since then, the Hong Kong streetwear brand has taken on a range of classic models, including the Gazelle and the Superstar.
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Despite the absence of fashion in his upbringing – with his dad being a plumber and his uncle a carpenter – Craig Green has always found inspiration from these traditionally blue collar roles, not only in his own collections but also with his Adidas partnership as well. Since 2020, the North London native has applied a sculptural aesthetic to each of this trainers, blurring the line between a piece of fashion and a piece of art.
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While Daniel Arsham is known primarily for his crystalised statues and grail-worthy watches, the American contemporary artist's 2017 “Past Present Future” collection with the German sportswear label was also pretty groundbreaking with its use of Futurecraft 4D technology. While 3D-printed shoes are only hitting the mainstream nowadays, Arsham was experimenting with them half a decade ago. He was also one of the first to add UV-reactive details to his sneakers, because, why not?
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Back in December 2020, just when you thought that things were slowing down a little, Jerry Lorenzo announced that he was leaving Nike for Adidas. It was a collab that absolutely nobody expected, and one that would take almost three years to drop. When it did finally release, however, it was immediately clear that the wait was genuinely worth it. Dubbed Fear of God Athletics, not only did the collection feature more luxe loungewear that you could've ever dreamed of, it also boasted three new trainers that had everyone craving for more.
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To the uninformed, the name Gary Aspden might not ring any bells. But as soon as we bring up the Adidas Spezial line, you'll immediately know who we're talking about. Every single season for the past 10 years, the German sportswear giant has been partnering up with the British designer for styles and colourways that pay tribute to the UK's deep and sacred football culture. In 2022, the duo took this inspo one step further by partnering up with Liam Gallagher. Pretty everyone took a L, but no one looked back in anger.
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Whether you call it Adiducci or Guccidas, there's no denying that Gucci x Adidas is one of the most unexpected (yet expected) collaborations in trainer history. Introduced in 2022, both companies love playing with very bold colours and very bold graphics, and retro icons like the Gazelle and the ZX 8000 work perfectly with the Italian fashion house's vintage aesthetic. While nothing in life is perfect, this partnership comes pretty close to it.
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2023 marked two decades since Jeremy Scott first started working with the Herzogenaurach-based brand, and even after all this time, their relationship remains stronger than ever. While they've worked on countless collections over the past 20 years, their most legendary drop has got to be 2008's JS Wings. This range proved extremely popular especially among K-pop royalty such as Big Bang's G-Dragon, who wore these religiously before joining Nike in 2016.
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Not only will the late and great Kobe Bryant be remembered as one of the greatest basketball players to ever live, his inventive sneakers, like the Crazy 8, will always be one of the greatest Adidas collabs, too. In the early '00s, Bryant also launched the Crazy 1, which was (in)famously inspired by his own Audi TT sports car.
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There was a point in history when Mastermind's Adidas collabs were the most coveted. And while the duo haven't work on anything for about seven years now (sad), there's still a tonne of hype attached to models like the EQT 93/17 and the NMD XR1. Holy grails then, and holy grails now.
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Nice Kicks is an Adidas partner that deserves its flower. Established all the way back in 2006, it was founded by Matt Halfhill and was one of the first sneaker blogs to hit the web. Since then, he's worked on a bunch of very valuable sneakers, including an Ultra Boost that's celebrated the 50th anniversary of Woodstock, and the first NMD R1 collab ever, complete with a trippy tie-dye makeover.
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After teaming up with Umbro and Reebok in 2012 and 2013, respectively, Palace kicked off its iconic collaboration with Adidas in 2014, and even after ten years, things have never been stronger between the two. Giving some of Adi's retro models a skate-centric makeover, Lev Tanju's sneakers all sell out within seconds of releasing, partly thanks to their ingenious marketing campaigns.
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On Earth Day in 2015, Adidas introduced a collaboration like no other with Parley for the Oceans. While most partnerships are strictly fashion-focused, this one is all about being kinder to the environment and making things more sustainable. What started off as a single running shoe made from ocean plastic eventually influenced the German company's entire manufacturing process, implementing recycled fabrics and materials to every single product line. That's huge progress.
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Of course, you just can't talk about the greatest Adidas collaborations since the dawn of time without bringing up Pharrell Williams. Since 2014, Skateboard P has been working closely with the German company on full fledged sneaker and apparel collections. From the Superstar to the Samba, all the way to the NMD, in 2017, the Virginia-born multi-hyphenate even revealed a three-way sneaker collab with Chanel. This shoe continues to sell for up to £25,000 even seven years later. Those are some big, big numbers.
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While Adidas is now known for its range of high fashion collabs with the likes of Balenciaga, Gucci, and Moncler, its partnership with Prada was what kicked it all off. Affectionately nicknamed Pradidas by fans, the joint project debuted in 2019 with a selection of calfskin-outfitted Superstars. The Italian house would eventually take on the Forum, as well as 2023's Football collection which included the Copa Pure, Predator Accuracy, and X Crazyfast.
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Adidas by Raf Simons was revealed in Paris Fashion Week as part of the Belgian designer's Fall/Winter 2013 show. Comprising four silhouettes, each one was inspired by running and hiking shoes from Adidas' archive, but executed with a futuristic approach. While these sneakers were considered kinda ugly at the time, they gained a pretty significant cult following especially amongst the rap community. A$AP Rocky was a big fan of the collection, to the point he dropped a track dedicated to 'em.
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Out of all of Rick Owens' sneakers, the Lord of Darkness' Adidas collab is probably his most successful one to date. Owens was contracted to Adidas for several seasons, and this gave him the opportunity to create his own line of co-branded trainers. While some of these were reinterpretations of existing silhouettes, some were completely original, including the Runner and Tech Runner. This ran from 2013 to 2017, and while the California-born designer decided not to renew the partnership, the split was amicable.
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You just can't talk about the best Adi collabs without giving Ronnie Fieg a shoutout. Over the past decade or so, the Queens native has worked with German label on multiple occasions, taking on everything from the NMD to the Ultraboost. With that said, one of his most hyped collections has got to be 2023's 8th Street Samba. Pairing the classic Samba with Clarks' signature crepe rubber sole, resale prices aren't coming down, anytime soon.
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There's just no way you can talk about the greatest Adidas sneaker collaborations in history without giving Run-DMC a special shoutout. These days, brand deals with musical artists literally get handed out every single week, but the New York City hip-hop group was the first one ever to land one back in the late ‘80s. This partnership has been ongoing ever since, and in 2023, they came together once again for a very special “50th Anniversary” shoe range that celebrated the collective’s big birthday.
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When Sean Wotherspoon announced that he was leaving Nike for Adidas in 2020, fans of the Swoosh were left devastated. That said, the Round Two co-founder had grand plans to create some of the most eco-conscious kicks that you could buy, and he did everything he could to make this dream a reality. From laces made from recycled paper to leaving sneakers completely uncoloured and undyed to save water, Wotherspoon has really thought of everything.
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Stella McCartney needs a special shoutout. The British fashion designer has been working with Adidas for almost 20 years now, and during their partnership, she's been given full creative control over every model. Her kicks are always big and bold, and Very Famous Guys like Robert Downey Jr can't get enough of 'em.
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In 2020, Grace Wales Bonner took the wraps off of her very first Adidas collection. Inspired by her British and Jamaican heritage, her sneakers combined premium materials with delicate embroidery, and are painted in bold, eye-catching colour palettes that are absolutely adored by fashion's finest. In 2023, she launched a very shiny metallic silver Samba that sold out literally in seconds, and one year later, she gave the Samba Millennium a blue pony hair makeover. Mad.
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And last but certainly not least, we have Yohji Yamamoto. Back in 2002, the godfather of Japanese fashion joined hands with the German sportswear label for Y-3. While collaborations are nothing new these days, this one was supremely ahead of its time. Known for his avant-garde style and use of black, black, and even more black, Adidas gave Yamamoto total creative control over everything. And, in the past two decades, the sneakerverse has been blessed with hundreds of legendary silhouettes, some have been totally built from the ground up, while others are contemporary reinterpretations of classics, like the Superstar Gendo collection.
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