Adolf Dassler made his first shoe at the age of just 20, in 1920, using the few materials available after the First World War. In his workshop in Herzogenaurach near Nuremberg in Germany. He was an athlete himself and was always in close contact with sports participants and was always present in person at important sports events. He wanted to provide every athlete with the best footwear. Adolph Dassler died in 1978. His first shoe was produced from canvas. Adi Dassler focused his work on the classic disciplines of track and field. Athletes wore special shoes from his workshop for the first time at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam. In the mid 1920s he was already experimenting with spikes. In the mid 1930s Adi Dassler was making 30 different shoes for eleven sports, and he had a workforce of almost 100 employees. In less than two decades adidas advanced to become the world's leading sports shoe manufacturer.

After the turmoil of the Second World War, Adi Dassler made a fresh start. In 1947, with 47 workers, he began putting into practice the knowledge gained from the pre-war period and also new ideas. Adi Dassler made the first post-war sports shoes using canvas and rubber from American fuel tanks. In 1948 he introduced adidas as the company name, a combination of his own first and last name. One year later he registered the unmistakable Three Stripes.

Adolph's brother Rudolph, who had worked with Adolph since the beginning went on to from Puma, another internationally recognised brand. The name 'Adidas' is made up from his nickname 'Adi' and the first part of his surname. Adidas grew in the sports market throughout the following 3 decades, and soon became a market leader. The breakthrough came for Adi Dassler when Germany won the Soccer World Cup in 1954. In the legendary Final against Hungary, the German team wore boots with screw-in studs by adidas. Adi Dassler was the first entrepreneur to use sports promotion in order to make the public aware of his innovations. He started using well-known athletes as advertising for his products. Many famous athletes such as Jesse Owens, Muhammad Ali, Max Schmeling, Sepp Herberger and Franz Beckenbauer. From the mid 1960s, adidas also started producing apparel for competition and training. Ball production began in 1963, and ever since 1970 the Official Match ball at all major soccer events has been an adidas product.

Adidas and soon introduced the famous three stripe tracksuit, and trainers such as the Gazelle and Superstar which are still made today! The Trefoil logo was introduced at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Adi Dassler died in 1978, at the age of 78. Following his death, Adi Dassler's widow Käthe and his son Horst took charge of running the company. Horst Dassler died unexpectedly in 1987, at the early age of 51.

Throughout the 80's, Adidas thrived in the UK, and the popularity of styles such as Forest Hills and Samba soared, as they were adopted for casual wear. In the USA, Adidas was popular with hip-hop and became synonymous with street culture, groups such as Run DMC could always be seen wearing Adidas. In 1989 the Dassler family withdrew from the company, and it was transformed into a corporation.

Adidas introduced a new logo in the 1990's to replace the trefoil logo. The new logo represents the performance aspect of the new styles and can be seen on the A3 and climacool range. Adidas enhance this image with the sponsorship of top sporting events such as the World Cup and Champions League, as well as sports personalities such as David Beckham and Johnny Wilkinson. The trefoil log was soon re-issued, and many of the original Adidas trainers are still made today as part of the Originals range. The 90's also saw Adidas's flotation on the stock market, and the acquisition of the Salomon Group, which later became Adidas Salomon AG. Adidas-Salomon AG has the best portfolio of sports brands in the sporting goods industry, offering products for both. In 1991, adidas launched adidas EQUIPMENT, a line of performance-oriented, functional footwear and apparel.

Adidas have gone on to become the biggest name in world sport, the quality and unique style of their products is respected throughout the sporting and fashion world. They are constantly introducing new style and ranges and are always at the forefront of the industry.