The South German newspaper "Süddeutsche" affectionately called it "the chav without guilt". In 1963, Adi Dassler invented the popular Adilette for Olympic athletes. At the time, Dassler could not have imagined that the Adidas slipper would so quickly leave the sacred spaces of the Olympic athletes and conquer the saunas of ordinary citizens. That it would make it from there to the campsites and the streets of small German towns and finally the sidewalk in front of the "Seiler" drinking hall in the Kohlhaus in Fulda. The Adilette merged with us Germans and ruined our reputation. It ensured that even today our neighbors believe we are on permanent vacation and only move from the couch to reach for the chips. But now we are in the 21st century and we believe that the Adilette has mastered the style crisis. The Adilette is now the appropriate answer to the FlipFlop and Crocs of the summer season - original remains original.
adidas Adilette – plastic bomber with three stripes since 1963
When Adi Dassler invented the Adilette in 1963, he did it for a reason. He owed athletes a favor because they wanted a shoe for the locker room that they could also wear in the shower. As a result, Dassler created the blue rubber bathing slipper with a pre-shaped footbed and lined strap. Side suction cups for the necessary grip and, of course, the three white stripes.
After its success in the shower cabins of this country, the plastic bomber with the Three Stripes became mainstream in the 90s. Moms bought them for their kids, athletes wore them to and before sports practice. Whether at camp, in the dormitory or the next sports dormitory - the Adilette was everywhere. If that wasn't already too much of a good thing, the Adilette contributed to the German vacationer stereotype. Adilette (preferably with white tennis socks), sleeveless fine rib and there you have it, the German vacationer. You can't get more high-fashion than that. But after years the image seems to have been forgotten. The Adilette has finally become cool. In the meantime, you can find the slippers made of solid rubber on every corner in high summer. Whether at the swimming lake, the next shop around the corner or at the university - the Adilette is probably THE original summer shoe.
The colorful variety of the Adilette
The OG Adilette is, of course, completely blue with white stripes. But in recent years, adidas Originals has presented a wide range of colorways and materials in addition to classic colors like black, blue, green and red. For fans of slippers, we can highly recommend you the "Cozylette". The slipper version comes with gray wool felt and ensures maximum cozyness. However, if you are looking for a real summer slipper, you can't go wrong with the Adilette "Cork". With this you are guaranteed not to get sweaty feet.
It is not surprising that such an icon attracts the attention of other brands. Thus, adidas Originals presented us with a refreshing collabo with AriZona Iced Tea in the summer of 2020. The adidas x AriZona Iced Tea Pack consists of four different colorways - each colorway representing a specific flavor.
Another highlight in the wide selection of adilettes is the adidas Adilette Premium »The Tribute« Pack. Adidas sends its legendary slides on a time travel through the archives and fuses the classic Adilette with four iconic sneaker styles. Alongside the "NMD_R1", "Micropaper" and "SL72" adilettes, our secret favorite is the "Auqalette". Inspired by the legendary ZX 8000 "Aqua", the "Aqualette" comes in bright turquoise with yellow details - a real adilette heavyweight!
The "Lace Pack" from 2020 shows us that the Adilette can also be completely different: With elegant materials made of shiny white satin and precious lace as well as golden details, adidas impressively proves that the iconic Adilette can also cut a great figure with a girly look in a skirt or dress. Our office girls affectionately refer to it as the »wedding slipper«. A story like something out of a fairy tale: from the shower cabin to the wedding party - Adi Dassler probably couldn't have imagined that in his wildest dreams.
How does the Adilette fit?
We have noticed that the Adilette runs very small. We recommend you to choose one size larger than usual.
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