adidas

adidas is the German sportswear brand behind the three stripes, founded by brothers Adolf and Rudolf Dassler in the 1920s. It began with running shoes made in their mother's washroom. Adolf later renamed the company, joining "adi" from his nickname with "das" from Dassler. The 1954 World Cup win by the German team, in lightweight adidas boots with screw-in cleats, put the name on the map.

Since then it has given us the Superstar, Stan Smith and Adilette, plus the classic tracksuit. It gave Run DMC the first non-athlete endorsement deal from a sports brand. Today the range runs from Handball Spezial and Gazelle to Ultra Boost, the Y-3 line with Yōji Yamamoto, and a Pharrell Williams collaboration using recycled ocean plastic.