Adidas

The name Adidas actually came from the brand’s creator, Adolf ‘Adi’ Dassler.

Founded in 1920, Adidas revolutionised the lacklustre athletic performance shoe market, making an auspicious debut at the 1926 Amsterdam Olympics.

The shoes blazed a trail on soccer teams, boxers, runners and tennis pros – it seemed that the best accessory for a gold medal was a pair of Adidas on the feet.

In the midst of the sneaker-crazed 80s, rap trio Run DMC paid homage to the shoe in their 1986 song My Adidas.

Fans of the ‘Superstar’ shoe, the group became the first rap group to be sponsored by an athletic label and were instrumental in exposing suburban teens to the Adidas.

With its laces missing and tongue pulled out, the ‘Superstar’ model became the ultimate street look until Nike and Reebok stole the show in the latter part of the decade.

A decade later, Adidas reclaimed its place upon the pedestal when the Beastie Boys kicked the ‘old school’ revival into gear. Pop icons and street kids sought out vintage styles as a response to the technical and neon wizardry of modern sneakers.

This return to the old prompted Adidas to re-release old models such as the Superstar shell toes for a whole new generation to flaunt.