Nike has taught us a lot of lessons over the past years! Other than “Just Do It”, we’ve also learned that sneaker collaborations are the building blocks of sneaker culture for a sneaker brand! And, Adidas is obviously taking a leaf from Swoosh’s book. But, are they doing it AS well as Nike?
These are the best (and worst!) Adidas collaborations we’ve got so far!
Adidas collaborators go way back to the year ‘86 with one of their very earliest collabs: the RUN DMC collaboration! Hence the songs, My Adidas and Walk This Way! Yeah, that wasn’t purely out of the band’s love for the Three Stripes. However, this definitely did pave way for more future collabs and industry crossovers. Now, Adidas partners with brands, artists, musicians, and so much more! But, it doesn’t always go as planned…
Let’s go over the 5 most iconic Adidas collaborations we’ve witnessed so far, and give them a little overview! Do keep in mind that a lot of these collabs are the bread and butter of countless sneaker resellers in the industry. Something you should consider! Sneaker reselling is, in fact, an exact science that you can learn too. So, if you’re interested in making money off these partnerships, just click on the button below to find out more!
BEST ADIDAS COLLABORATIONS
#1 ADIDAS X YEEZY
So, we’re going to kickstart this list with the most controversial of all the Adidas collaborations. Maybe even the most controversial sneaker collab in sneaker history. Technically speaking, this is no longer a Three Stripe collab as of October 25th, 2022. If you didn’t already know, Ye – aka, Kanye West – totally screwed up. And Adidas had to terminate its contract with him. You can read all about it here!
However, before that, Adidas x YEEZY was the collaboration of the century! Kanye created the most iconic line of sneakers that sneakerheads won’t ever forget. The line of Yeezy Boost 350s will probably outlive Kanye himself! The partnership started in 2013 right after Ye ended his other sneaker collab with Nike. Red flag much?
Of all the Adidas collaborations on this list, this one is probably the most memorable. Reselling Yeezys was (and still is) a great money-making venture for tons of sneakerheads. In fact, Kanye fed into the sneaker reselling culture with his demand-supply game. Although his journey with Adidas (and a lot of other brands) ended, we’re sure we’ll see Ye again!
But, what’s going to happen with the next Adidas Yeezys? Find out here!
#2 ADIDAS X BALENCIAGA
Next, we’ve got some luxury Adidas collaborations with the Adidas x Balenciaga collab. Now, this is where things get a little awkward considering this was Yeezy’s thing. Balenciaga is one of the brands that dropped Ye after everything that went down with Adidas. And now, they’re working strictly with the Three Stripes. Three-way gone wrong?
Earlier this May, Adidas announced their collaboration with luxury fashion house, Balenciaga. Together they created a 33-piece capsule that went flying off the shelves within seconds. And, they’re not even stopping there.
Right after Adidas ended its partnership with Ye, they announced the drop of a new collection. So, we can definitely expect a lot more from the duo in the future – with or without Ye!
#3 ADIDAS X PRADA
More on luxury! It seems like Adidas collaborations have a certain type with an appeal for luxury. We all love a bit of luxury sneaker action! And, the Adidas x PRADA collection is definitely serving high-end. This duo’s relationship started back in June 2020 with the 3 colorways of the iconic, classic Superstar!
But, that was just the beginning! In 2021, the couple announced a new capsule featuring the Luna Rossa 21. Sneakers that were nothing short of super luxurious!
And, now they’re back at it once again with a 21-piece collection advocating for environmentally-friendly apparel and footwear. High-end quality AND ethically made!
#4 ADIDAS X GUCCI
Guess what? More luxury! At this point, you can say that Adidas collaborations can be considered high-end. Now, this is something that we can all get into. Bringing the sneaker culture into big fashion houses creates marvels! Gucci is one of the coolest Adidas collaborators that really understood the assignment!
They debuted their partnership back in February 2022 on the Milan Fashion Week runway! The entire capsule featured retro 70s-style apparel and footwear. Giving us all that dose of vintage that we definitely need!
Nostalgic flair, vivid colors, a whole lotta attitude? Sign us up! Plus, GAZELLES!
#5 ADIDAS X BAD BUNNY
Finally, last but not least, we’ve got Adidas x Bad Bunny. So, we know we had a whole lotta luxury for the previous Adidas collaboration. But, this does not mean that Bad Bunny is an exception! In fact, this collab served some pretty fancy-looking sneakers without coming out of a fashion house! The Puerto Rican artist first teamed up with Adidas in 2021 with the Forum Low sneakers!
Ever since then, his sense of sneakers and collaboration has evolved, playing around with the Response CL dad shoe! And then, in 2022 Benito went back to the classic Forum shoe serving Blue Sky vibes! The pair which Adidas promptly dubbed, Blue Tint…
We won’t say more about that.
What’s NEXT?
So, as you can see, the list of Adidas collaborations goes on and on without any signs of slowing down. We’re not saying they didn’t take a hit from their recent breakup. But, we think that both parties will definitely find a way to move past it!
You just make sure you keep it locked on our blog and Instagram @aiobot for all the latest sneaker updates!