"Adidas AG is an international corporation, established and also headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany, that layouts and manufactures footwear, clothes and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and also the 2nd biggest worldwide, after Nike. It is the holding company for the Adidas Group, which includes the Reebok sports apparel company, 8.33% of the German football club Bayern Munich, and also Runtastic, an Austrian physical fitness technology company. Adidas' revenue for 2018 was detailed at EUR21.915 billion.

The firm was started by Adolf Dassler in his mom's home; he was joined by his elder sibling Rudolf in 1924 under the name Dassler Brothers Footwear Factory. Dassler assisted in the growth of spiked running shoes (spikes) for multiple athletic events. To enhance the quality of spiked athletic shoes, he transitioned from a previous design of heavy metal spikes to utilising canvas and rubber. Dassler encouraged U.S. sprinter Jesse Owens to utilize his handmade spikes at the 1936 Summer season Olympics. In 1949, following a breakdown in the connection between the siblings, Adolf created Adidas, and also Rudolf established Puma, which ended up being Adidas' business opponent.

Adidas' logo is three red stripes, which is used on the business's clothing and also footwear styles as an advertising aid. The branding, which Adidas bought in 1952 from Finnish sports firm Karhu Sports for the equivalent of 1600 euros and also two bottles of scotch, became so effective that Dassler defined Adidas as "" The three stripes firm""."