What now, adidas? Three Stripes continues legacy
adidas began as an athleticwear innovator but their history has taken us on a thrilling ride from athletics to pop culture lifestyle. Seen courtside on celebrities, worn by athletes on the field and coveted in the streetwear scene, adidas does not need more notoriety.
But since their first partnership of over 70 years with Germany’s football club has been dissolved - and a couple of other notable partnerships as well - where is adidas headed from here?
The End?
Can you imagine Nike dissolving their partnership with Oregon? Well, that’s the equivalent reality for German-born adidas and the Germany national football team.
The German football players first wore the adidas Dassler boot in their miraculous win against Hungary in the 1954 World Cup final. The boot had a feature that had never been seen before on the pitch: screw-in studs that could be changed to suit field conditions. And with feedback from other athletes, adidas founder Adi Dassler made sure the boot was lightweight, with a lower ankle and softer toe.
adidas went on to outfit the German team with an entire uniform for decades and, back in 2024, shocked the sports world with the announcement of their split. The duo still had two more years in their contract, making the 2026 World Cup the grand finale. adidas made a fantastic black jersey with gold details for the very final kit.
And this was not the only adidas partnership that dissolved in 2026. The Miami Hurricanes will also be leaving adidas for Nike in June 2027. The 10-year $200 million deal means the Hurricanes will be back in Nike uniforms for the start of the 2027 season. The Swoosh already made history with the Hurricanes. In 1987, they signed a groundbreaking deal that made Nike the first athletic brand to outfit all sports for a school's athletic program. The Hurricanes football team won the 1989, 1991 and 2001 national championships under the partnership, with the 2001 team becoming a beacon of greatness.
adidas made one last stand in their run with Miami and it serves as a perfect bridge between the partnerships. The brand released a tribute to that iconic 2001 team with the thin stripe across the chest and shoulders. The promotional video was especially powerful as they had past legends like Ed Reed and Clinton Portis reflect on the glory days while playing dominoes. But the best part was the tribute to Sean Taylor. There was an empty chair at the table with Taylor's No. 26 jersey.
At the start of 2026, we also saw Jerry Lorenzo’s Fear of God quietly end their era of collaboration with adidas. The partnership allowed Lorenzo to establish the third pillar of his esteemed brand: Fear of God Athletics. The three pillars and three stripes felt serendipitous. We were particularly loving this pairing because of The U pieces that were available. But it was a five-year contract and both parties mutually agreed to not renew it.
What Now?
At first, we asked ourselves, what does adidas do now? But really...the legendary brand has nothing to worry about. They just recorded the highest quarterly profit ever for the brand. CEO Bjorn Gulden stated, “Our investment in innovation is paying off, not only by great wins, stories and performances, but also with strong and profitable growth in Football, Running and Training. Our fantastic designers and development teams have created new apparel collections that are globally in high demand and currently fueling our lifestyle business.”
There are countless sporting partnerships that show the Three Stripes is thriving like the Unrivaled Basketball League and Esports Nations Cup. Soccer teams Inter Miami, Manchester United and Real Madrid remain on adidas' lineup. The Mexico national team saw sales surge this summer with superb kit designs.
"The easiest way to start breaking that shell is by finding your fashion angle because you can say something without saying anything."
Edison Chen - adidas collaborator and founder of CLOT
College teams like Texas Tech, Arizona State and Indiana are adidas schools. Tennessee and Penn State pulled the reverse move on Nike and recently joined the German brand. The Nittany Lions' deal was especially eyebrow-raising after 30 years with the Swoosh. Just this month, Ole Miss announced a seven-year partnership with the Three Stripes. This is said to be the team adidas went after when their contract with The U was not renewed.
There's also athletes like the one and only Lionel Messi, who consistently has the most-coveted jersey both national team and club sales. In June, adidas lured Kelsey Plum away from Under Armour, who had heavily invested in the WNBA star and hosted her Dawg Class. Damian Lillard is a proud member of the adidas roster as well.
Don't forget the Mercedes Formula 1 team, who might be celebrating Kimi Antonelli as the championship driver this weekend at the Mexico Grand Prix all while wearing Three Stripes. They've done collaborations with Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny, who is also an adidas signee.
Clearly, adidas is still the elite company it has always been in both performance and now more than ever, lifestyle. In a press release celebrating their 75-year anniversary, adidas points out, "Back in the 1980s, the US hip-hop band Run DMC opened the doors to the lifestyle sector for the brand with their hit 'My adidas' while prominently wearing the Superstar basketball shoe."
While sporting partnerships are adidas’ bread and butter, lifestyle collaborations are what pop culture craves.
This year, Willy Chavarria became adidas Originals' Creative Advisor. The Willy Chavarria x adidas Originals Copa Megaride shoe was released in June. This week, they dropped the adidas Originals adiSignature line of bold, colorful, oversized sweats. Chavarria is a favorite of Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton and several members of K-pop’s BTS.
Credit: adidas
adidas and renaissance man Pharrell Williams continue to innovate with each drop of the Jellyfish. This shoe has outstanding colorways and glow-in-the-dark features.
Wales Bonner x adidas Originals continue their goal of bringing luxury and performance together with each collaboration. Their Spring 2026 collection showed us the elevated side of adidas in their garment, footwear and accessory offerings.
Classic streetwear brand BAPE is known for their incredible jerseys and this year teamed up with adidas to create coveted home and away jerseys and mismatched EVO SL sneakers for the 2026 World Cup.
adidas has a firm foot in both worlds of sport and culture. And they have for a while. They continue to attract artists, athletes and fashion brands for creative collaboration and, despite losing two powerhouse programs this year, they aren't slowing down anytime soon.
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