The first Adidas trainers were hand produced by Adolf (Adi) and Rudolph Dassler in 1920 under the Dassler name at home on the kitchen table. In 1928 the trainers appeared in the Olympic Games in Amsterdam. By 1956, at the Melbourne Olympics, the Adidas brand was being promoted. This was the first sports sponsorship. By 1961 Adidas had branched out from trainers into footballs and clothing. At the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, 80% of all athletes sported footwear with the familiar Adidas 3 stripes. The famous Adidas trefoil logo was introduced in 1972, this represents the continental plates coming together in the spirit of the Olympics.
Fast forward to 1980 and the year I got my first pair of Adidas trainers, the end of no name pumps and copy Adidas 5 stripes from Asda, I had hit the big time. Adidas Kick, black leather with white stripes at a cost of about 10 English pounds I think, not bad when I have just noticed that the latest Adidas Kick is sold by Size at £54.99 a pair. This Kick was first produced in the mid 70′s as an affordable football shoe, I feel a little sorry for it though looking back, they was never really the trainer of choice for anyone and everyone wanted something better, they was just the cheapest in the range, a poor mans Samba. Can’t see me ever getting another pair as I have long since moved on to my trainer of choice the ZX500. Along with a whole host of celebrities such as Ian Brown, Rev Run and Beckham I really have joined the Retro Adidas fan club, and I will continue to hold on to that little bit of the eighties with both feet. But could Noel be the biggest fan?
Noel Gallagher apparently has hundreds of pairs of retro Adidas trainers but he never wears them through fear of ruining them. Speaking to the Daily Telegraph in a interview, Noel stated, “Since I gave up being a professional drug user, I’ve always got to be addicted to buying something and Adidas trainers have become my vice. I don’t know how many I’ve got, hundreds probably. My girlfriend’s friends come round and tell me I’ve got a problem.”
posted: 18/03/10filled under: Featureswords by: Keith Griffiths0 Comments