The Meaning Behind the Adidas Three Stripes

Origins of the Three Stripes

The story of Adidas's three stripes begins not with branding, but with function. When Adi Dassler began crafting athletic shoes in his mother's laundry room in the 1920s, he used leather strips to reinforce the shoe's midfoot area. These support bands happened to come in threes.

In 1949, when Dassler officially founded Adidas (a portmanteau of his name, Adi Dassler), he purchased the three-stripe trademark from Finnish sports brand Karhu for what legend says was the equivalent of two bottles of whiskey and 1,600 euros. It remains one of the most famous bargains in branding history.

The Mountain Logo: Performance Division

In 1991, Adidas introduced a new logo variant: the three stripes tilted to form a mountain shape. This "Equipment" or "Performance" logo was designed by Peter Moore and symbolized the challenges and goals that athletes strive to overcome.

The mountain metaphor was powerful — it represented climbing higher, pushing beyond limits, and reaching peaks of achievement. This logo quickly became the primary mark for Adidas's performance athletic products.

Today, this mountain/three-bars logo appears on most Adidas sportswear and equipment, from running shoes to football jerseys.

The Trefoil: Heritage and Lifestyle

The Trefoil logo, introduced in 1972 for the Munich Olympics, features the three stripes integrated into a flower-like shape with three leaves. Each leaf was said to represent one of the three major landmasses where Adidas products were sold at the time: the Americas, Europe/Africa, and Asia.

After the mountain logo was introduced for performance products, the Trefoil was repositioned as the heritage and lifestyle mark. Today it appears on Adidas Originals products — classic designs, streetwear collaborations, and retro reissues.

The Circle Logo: Style Division

The third major Adidas logo variant is the circle logo, used for the Adidas Style (formerly Adidas NEO) division. This contemporary mark places the three stripes within a circle, giving the brand a more fashion-forward, accessible feel.

Having multiple logos allows Adidas to speak to different audiences — from competitive athletes to sneaker collectors to fashion-conscious consumers — while maintaining the three-stripe thread that unifies everything.

The Three Stripes as a Legal Battleground

The three stripes have been the subject of numerous legal battles. Adidas vigorously defends its trademark, having filed thousands of lawsuits against companies that use similar stripe patterns. Not all of these cases have been successful — in 2019, a European court ruled that the three-stripe trademark was invalid in certain contexts.

Despite legal challenges, the three stripes remain one of the most recognized symbols in global sports and fashion, a testament to the power of simple, consistent branding over decades.

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