adidas ltd is the world's second largest manufacturer of sportswear behind Nike.  The German apparel company was named after it's creator Adolf Dassler who was originally one half of a shoe manufacturing partnership with his brother Rudolf Dassler (who later went on to form the 'Puma' sportswear company).  adidas is part of the adidas group which includes the 'Reebok' sportswear company, the 'Taylormade' golf company, 'Maxfli' golf balls and 'adidas golf'.   

three parallel stripes are the famous mark of the adidas brand which appear on it's clothing, footwear and logo.  Today adidas has an annual revenue of more than $10 billion and is owned by the French owner of the Olympique de Marseille football team Robert Louis-Dreyfus.

in September 2004 English fashion designer Stella McCartney launched a joint-venture line with adidas called 'adidas by Stella McCartney, it's a sports performance collection for women that has been critically acclaimed.

adidas' aquisition of Reebok in August 2005 meant the company could enjoy business sales closer to those of Nike in North America and compete with them in the worldwide manufacture of athletic shoes.  the NBA's deal with 'Reebok' became nulled when adidas aquired the company, however, the NBA renegotiated a new 11 year deal with adidas worth over $400 million.

In the same year adidas introduced the 'adidas 1', known as 'the world's first intelligent shoe', it features a microprocessor capable of automatically adjusting the shoe's level of cushioning to suit its environment.

adidas are constantly involved in the sponsorship of high profile sports athletes and major sporting events including the 2012 Olympics in London, a recent adidas commercial campaign included the slogan 'impossible is nothing'.

adidas' commercial exposure is not only limited to sport, some of the movies to feature adidas apparel include 'Goodfellas' where Ray Liotta wore a black adidas warm-up suit, The Jamaican Bobsled team in the film 'Cool Runnings' wore adidas clothing and shoes, the cast of the 'Goal!' trilogy wore adidas products, the boatcrew in 'The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou' all wear adidas customized trainers and in the movie 'Dude, Where's My Car?' the two main characters wore matching adidas track suits and shirts.

famous faces of pop and rock who have worn adidas include Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash who wore adidas shoes on tour, The Beastie Boys are frequently seen wearing adidas clothing and shoes and Jay Kay from Jamiroquai is known for his love of adidas, particularly from the adidas Originals brand.  Run DMC famously released a song entitled "My adidas" and had their own range of adidas clothing, rock legend Robbie Williams is often seen in adidas clothing and Noel Gallagher of Oasis has a huge collection of retro adidas trainers including rare examples of the adidas Gazelles.

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