The history of adidas is made of innovation, of epic moments and the care for the sports shoes worn by stars like Messi, Run-DMC and Madonna. This book, a mecca for sneakerheads, presents the history of adidas through almost 200 pairs of shoes, from unique originals and vintage models to designer pieces.
The visual history of Adidas
It all began in his mother's laundry room in the quiet German town of Herzogenaurach over 100 years ago. There, Adolf Dassler, known to everyone as "Adi," and his brother Rudolf made their first pair of sneakers. Hundreds of innovative designs, epic moments, and countless star collaborations later, This book presents a visual history of adidas sneakers through nearly 200 models.
To develop and improve the adaptation of his products to the specific needs of athletes, Dassler asked them to return their worn-out shoes when they were no longer needed, footwear that ended up accumulating in his attic (even today many athletes return their shoes to adidas, often as a thank you after winning a title or breaking a world record). This collection now forms the adidas Historical Archive, one of the largest archives, if not the largest, of all the sporting goods manufacturers in the world, which Photographers Christian Habermeier and Sebastian Jäger have been visually documenting this in great detail for years..
Thanks to the use of the most sophisticated reproduction techniques, these images reveal details as subtle as stains, tears, fragments of patching tape, grass stains, or faded autographs. It's all here, captured in extremely high resolution and unretouched. to bring to light the personal stories of each of the users. We can see the shoes worn by the West German football team in their “miraculous” victory in the 1954 World Cup and the ones Kathrine Switzer wore when she ran the Boston Marathon in 1967, before women were officially allowed to participate; Custom designs for major stars, from Madonna to Lionel Messi; collaborations with artists such as Pharrell Williams, Raf Simons, Stella McCartney, and Yohji Yamamoto; as well as the brand's pioneering techniques and materials.
About the photographers and authors
Christian Habermeier He has been working as a photographer and designer since 1989. He studied Communication Design and taught Photography and Digital Illustration from 2000 to 2006. He has completed projects in Cuba, Kenya, Nepal, India, Switzerland, and Hong Kong, among others. In 2000, he founded Studio Waldeck Photographers, achieving his dream of creating a carbon-neutral studio.
Sebastian Jäger He studied design at the Georg-Simon-Ohm University of Applied Sciences in Nuremberg, where he met former professor Christian Habermeier in 2005. His studio, Waldeck Photographers, serves clients in the industry and cultural sectors. Since 2011, they have been visualizing adidas' historical archives.
Book details:
- Editorial: TASCHEN
- Edition: Multilingual (Spanish, English, Italian)
- Hardcover: 512 pages
- Dimensions: 15.6 x 21.7 cm
- Weight: 1.14 kg
- ISBN: 978-3-8365-9108-9
