Adidas

If ever there was a rag to riches story in the world of fashion, then Adidas is it. Urban legend has it that the word "Adidas" is an anagram of the phrase "all day I dream about sports," but the athletic wear giant actually gets its name from its founder, Adolph "Adi" Dassler. After starting in his mother's wash kitchen, he registered his brand in 1924 with one vision in mind: to provide every athlete with the best footwear for his respective discipline. After falling out with his brother Rudolph (founder of rival brand Puma), the footwear entrepreneur started over again at the age of 49 and registered the 'Adidas' trademark and set to work with 47 employees. In the same year, he created a shoe that included the iconic Adidas 3-Stripes logo. By the 1970s, Adidas was the top athletic shoe brand sold in the United States, with Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier were both wearing the brand's boxing shoes in their "Fight of the Century" in 1971. Today, the apparel and footwear giant is still one of the most popular high-performance sportswear labels, with sold-out styles from partnerships with Kanye West and Pharrell Williams and iconic models such as the modern ones Ultraboost running shoe and classic Stan Smith. High-performance, innovation, and of course, style are the name of the game.