adidas Continental 80 J

Adidas

Adolf “Adi” Dassler started making shoes in Herzogenaurach, Germany, in the 1920s; Adidas was registered in 1949 after he split from brother Rudolf (who founded Puma). The brand is great at marrying sport and street. First big piece: early football boots and the track shoe Jesse Owens made famous in Dassler spikes. The Superstar, Samba and Stan Smith became cultural objects. Fun fact: the three stripes were originally a stability stitch, not just a logo.