ADIDAS
In 1949, Adi Dassler started Adidas which was then named Gebruder Dassler Schuhfabrik. When Germany beat Hungary in the 1954 World Cup Final whilst wearing Adi's Adidas boots the brand became widely known. Fast forward to 1986, Adidas then became Hip Hop's first ever endorsement deal. Run DMC performed in New York's Madison Square Garden and whilst performing their track 'My Adidas' the group asked the audience to raise one of their Adidas shoes in the air. An Adidas executive was in attendance and was so impressed that they actually offered them a $1 million dollar endorsement! Shop our range of Adidas here
NIKE
Blue Ribbon Sports was born in 1964 in 1971 it's name was changed to Nike. So was it's iconic swoosh that we all know and love today. Did you know they only paid a mere $35 for it?! Carolyn Davidson, a student at Portland Oregan University agreed to draw up designs and whilst they 'didn't love it' it is an iconic brand even in 2020! At the time of writing, Nike takes up 62% of the athletic shoe market - pretty impressive! Shop our swoosh garments here.
LEVI'S
The OG of denim had been around for a long time by the 80's, however it was this decade specifically that gave a nod to high waisted, stonewashed denims. Not forgetting the iconic 1985 commercial - watch here - if you haven't already got a pair of 501's, shop them at gpsvintage.com
LACOSTE
Izod Lacoste, the brand name it was originally known as initially appeared to be a flop. There really wasn't a market for pricey polo-shirts when the competitiors were wearing them at just over £8. However, Vincent De Paul Draddy (whom originally licensed the Lacoste name for Izod) had a very entrepreneurial idea. He provided Lacoste garms to his famous pals such as JFK, President Eisenhower etc.. and from then on people were happy to wear them, especially if the rich and famous wore them! Shop our range of modern vintage Lacoste
RALPH LAUREN
The next significant moment for the polo-shirt came when no other than Ralph Lauren designed the polo-shirt and named it after a sport of the wealthy - Polo. He included this as a main part of the polo line which boosted it's popularity immensely. The 80's were indeed the battle of the polo-shirt. Both Lacoste and Ralph Lauren were toe to toe to win over americans. From then, the polo developed it's iconic status as the total embodiment of the Polo lifestyle. At GPS Vintage, we stock Ralph Lauren long and short sleeved Polo-Shirts and Half Zips - check them out here.
