It’s time to make two of the most popular sneaker and casual wear brands in the world, Nike, and Adidas go head-to-head to see who comes out as the better brand.

Both brands are primarily known as sneaker companies. However, they have grown to become multi-billion dollar corporations. Not only producing sneakers but also athleticwear, casual wear, workout gear, and various accessories. They’ve have become staples in fashion and streetwear but in culture as well.

Unfortunately, no two brands are created equal. Over the years, both have contended for the love of consumers, celebrities, partnering companies, and more importantly all of their money. As they’ve continued to progress, more products and industries have become affected by their influence. So, let’s finally decided who’s better, Nike or Adidas?

Brief History

Nike is an American corporation that has existed since the 1960s. However, it didn’t officially begin operating under the name Nike until the 1970s.  Founders Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight, are credited with building the brand which traditionally used the endorsements of professional athletes to sell shoes.

The company started off as a distributor of Japanese running shoes. In less than 10 years after its creation, it moved to producing original designs for athletic footwear. Today, the company also holds Converse Inc. and Hurley International as subsidiaries.

German multinational company, Adidas, has existed since the late 1940s. After founder Adolf Dassler split from his brother and their company, he created his own shoe manufacturing company. The company that his brother ran later became known as Puma and the two were rivals. The rivalry continued throughout the rest of the 20th century. However, financial issues threatened its existence during the 90s.

Today, Adidas is thriving as a company that provides quality athletic wear and fashionable apparel. It’s partnered with come of the biggest names in Pop culture including Hip-Hop artists, fashion designers, and Pop culture icons. It also controls popular sneaker brand Reebok and surf company Matix.

Style

During the late 70s and early 80s, around the birth of Hip-Hop, Adidas were very popular, especially in urban culture. Their shoes and tracksuits are still considered symbolic of Hip-Hop culture. However, now big stars are producing their own apparel with the company. The brand has even gotten the attention of high fashion designers.

In terms of style, a pair of classic shell-toe Adidas will never go out of style. And runways have hosted them with casual wear and laid back presentations of formal wear. Their shoes and clothing are very simplistic with a little flair. However, Nike has organically become a part of fashion without trying. Through athletics, the youth have come to idolize the brand and the athletes who wear it. Michael Jordan is one of the most respected athletes, and the Jordan Brand that he and Nike built is phenomenal.

They’ve set the tone in fashion for sneakers, with unique design, creative colorways, and amazing quality. Jordans have become the most sought after sneakers, lines wrapped around the building every time a new pair is released. Every shoe enthusiast has at 5-10 pairs and any serious sneaker collector will have at least 50-100 pairs of Jordans.

Athletics

Adidas provides athletic wear and equipment for at least 12 different sports that are played internationally. Their track suits alone are iconic. However, Nike produces products for over 20 sports, including combat sports, aquatic sports, cheerleading, volleyball, and wrestling. And that’s just only a few of the sports that Adidas doesn’t cover.

Not to mention Nike’s shoes run supreme in the realm of basketball. They’ve even partnered with different technology companies, such as Apple, to create Nike+ products for their athletes. These products not only give the ability to play music or the radio while engaged in activity, but also provide statistics and analysis information.

Celebrity Endorsements

In the past, Nike was managed to snag the biggest of them all when it partnered with Michael Jordan to create the Jordan Brand. Whose shoe’s are highly coveted amongst the youth, sneaker collectors, and fashion enthusiasts. Jordan’s shoes and other Nike brand sneakers like the highly popular Air Force 1’s seemed to be topics of discussion in almost ever Hip-Hop song.

But, Adidas has taken it a step further by partnering with Hip-Hop artists to create advertisements, sneaker brands, and clothing collections. They’ve even worked with high-fashion designers. People like Pusha T, Pharell, Nicki Minaj, Big Sean, B.o.B and Kayne West all either have products with Adidas or endorsement deals. Which is interesting since back in 2009 Kanye was signed to Nike as their first non-athlete to receive a sneaker line. At the time they were called Air Yeezy and were extremely limited.

Verdict

Sorry Adidas, Nike is still leading the pack with its innovation and commitment to quality products. They’ve proven that they have the sports world on lock. and while they don’t collaborate with celebrities as much as Adidas, they’ve managed to make themselves a staple in popular cultures. Which means that at this point, they don’t have to pay as many people as Adidas to talk about them. Instead, they’re simply always apart of the conversation. Also, their brand is worth $15 billion dollars compared to Adidas $5. Like the old saying goes, “Money talks.”