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Adidas

By , About.com Guide

Image courtesy of Adidas

The Brand:

Adidas is a major German sports apparel manufacturer, part of the Adidas Group, consisting of Reebok sportswear company, Taylormade golf company, Maxfli golf balls, and Adidas Golf. It is the second-largest sportswear manufacturer in the world.

History:

In 1948, the company was named after its founder, Adolf (Adi) Dassler, who has been producing shoes since the early 1920s in Herzogenaurach, Germany with the help of his brother, Rudolf Dassler. The company registered as adidas AG (with lower-case lettering) on 18 August 1949. The brothers later split their business, and Rudolf went on to start Puma while Adolf focused on expanding Adidas in breadth.

Today:

After a period of serious trouble following the death of Adolf Dassler's son Horst Dassler in 1987, the company exchanged hands several times until Credit Lyonnais sold Adidas to Robert Louis-Dreyfus. In August 2005, Adidas declared its intention to buy British rival Reebok and the takeover was completed in January 2006. Today, Adidas plays a dominant role in global street culture and many of its sub-cultures.

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