When it comes to comfort, nothing beats a good pair of trainers – except maybe warm indoor slippers. The world of mens trainers, up until a few years ago, was ruled primarily by sports-related wear. White was the predominant color, and the dividers in sports or shoe shops were set primarily according to sports. You’d have the football section, the running section, the tennis section, the climbing section, etc. Recently, this trend has taken a turn for the fashionable. And spearheading this new wave of trendy trainers is no other than renown sportswear manufacturer Adidas.

Adidas trainers have set the standard for casual wear, combining style and comfort in an irresistible blend. And nobody really knows where or when it started. Truth is, different colored trainers with a contrasting three-striped logo printed on the side were the hallmark of fashion a couple of years back. From Hollywood stars to out-of-office businessmen, everyone owns at least one pair of these trainers. And they never really did go out of fashion – they simply evolved.

I remember the first pair of these trendy trainers I tried on: it was brown suede with the stripes in a discrete blue. I loved them and for a while it was like I never took them off. I was fortunate enough to have a friend working at a sports shop, and we’d get first pick out of the item that were to be put on sale. We also got to see the next year’s collection before anyone else. I was surprised to see, the following year, just how widespread the style had become. Not only did the trainers come in all shapes in sizes, including baby-size, they also started making them in all materials and styles. There were edgy Adidas trainers with bright neon colors and there were formal trainers where you could barely see the three-stripes – but they were there anyway. And nothing proved the success more intensely than the thousands upon thousands of knock-off shoes that flooded the market trying to capitalize on the trends’ huge success. The three stripes were turned into four, were placed sideways, anything they could find – as long as they could look enough like the successful trend. But nothing beats the originals – and mine are still in use.