Adidas is a German multinational corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, and the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, second globally only to Nike. Its origins trace to 1920, when Adolf "Adi" Dassler began experimenting with athletic footwear in the back room of his mother's house, having returned from World War I to train as a shoemaker after abandoning a baking apprenticeship. In 1924, Adi officially registered the business with his brother Rudolf as Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik (Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory).

The brothers' partnership famously dissolved after a bitter falling-out, and in 1949 Adi struck out on his own, founding "Adi Dassler adidas Sportschuhfabrik" with 47 employees — the name blending "Adi" and "Dassler." Rudolf, meanwhile, founded rival Puma just across town, beginning one of the most storied sibling rivalries in business history. Adidas's early breakthrough came at the 1954 World Cup, where its innovative screw-in studs helped West Germany secure victory, cementing the brand's reputation for performance innovation.

The following decades brought iconic products (the Stan Smith tennis shoe, the Trefoil logo, the Telstar World Cup ball) alongside major sponsorship deals with FIFA and the IOC pioneered by Horst Dassler after Adi's death in 1978. The 1980s and early '90s were turbulent, however, with leadership turnover and a near-bankruptcy in 1992. Robert Louis-Dreyfus took over as CEO in 1993, transforming adidas from a sales-driven to a marketing-driven company and steering it toward its 1995 IPO.

Since then, adidas has grown through acquisitions including Salomon (1997), Reebok (2005, later divested), TaylorMade golf, and Runtastic, while continuing to compete fiercely with Nike. Under current CEO Bjørn Gulden (since 2023), the company operates under its "Own the Game" strategy, emphasizing credibility, consumer experience, and sustainability, and remains one of the most recognized sportswear brands worldwide, spanning footwear, apparel, and accessories.