The architectural axiom “form follows function” may have been coined by American architect Mr Louis Henry Sullivan (aka the father of skyscrapers and functionalism), but its genesis lies within an ancient text, De Architectura. Written by Roman multihyphenate Mr Marcus Vitruvius Pollio circa 27BC, the ultimate takeaway from the 10-book treatise is the three-part rubric, “firmitas, utilitas et venustas”. Translated, the rule propounds a building should possess a trio of attributes: solidity, usefulness and beauty. With those qualities in mind, it’s not a stretch to say both Sullivan and Vitruvius would count themselves fans of adidas’ EQT line: a function-first sportswear collection that encapsulates, perhaps better than any other, what the brand stands for.

Launched 30 years ago, adidas EQT is the legendary subline that provides athletes, adventurers and the generally active with functional equipment (get the abbreviation yet?) that they can depend on. “adidas EQT puts performance above everything else, hence the ‘Everything that’s essential. Nothing that is not’ motto,” says Mr Fabian Gorsler, sneaker and sportswear editor of Highsnobiety and co-host of The Kickback Sneaker Podcast. “Essentially, it gives athletes everything they need to succeed.”

The form-follows-function project was spearheaded by two former Nike employees, Mr Peter Moore, a sneaker designer who was responsible for the Air Jordan 1, and Mr Rob Strasser. The pair had a gargantuan task on their hands. A major player in the middle of the 20th century, by the early 1990s, adidas was losing market share to its American rivals. It needed a Hollywood-scale reboot. “The line served to propel adidas back to the forefront of the sportswear industry,” says Gorsler.

Strasser and Moore headed to adidas’ headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany, where they learnt about founder Mr Adolf Dassler’s humble intentions. The cobbler turned entrepreneur aimed quite simply to provide sporting equipment to the athletically inclined. Inspired by the past, the pair reconfigured adidas and reinvigorated the brand by taking it back to basics.

The EQT line debuted in March 1991. Initially, four function-first sneakers dropped – the EQT Running Guidance, Running Support, Running Cushion and Racing. While developing this quartet, Moore enlisted the help of Mr Jacques Chassaing, designer of the adidas ZX and Forum. Chassaing swiftly introduced Moore to three of adidas’ most advanced technologies – Soft Cell, Riemen and Torsion – all of which went on to inform his EQT sneaker designs.

The brand reboot was a raging success and before long there was an adidas EQT shoe for every athletic pursuit. “The shoes were actual equipment for different sports,” says Mr Matthew Welty, associate editor of Complex and co-host of weekly sneaker and style talk show Full Size Run. “I know we’re more familiar with the running variations, but there were Adidas EQT sneakers for every track and field sport – even race walking.”

It helped that adidas EQT was given its own distinctive look from the outset. The new logo and colour palette provided the reboot with a much-needed visual identity.

Recognised today as the adidas Badge of Sport, Moore and co rotated the brand’s signature three stripes at a 30-degree angle to evoke an athlete’s upward journey towards peak performance. Needless to say, the motif implies EQT pieces are a prerequisite for sportspeople to reach their full potential. “The logo has become a mission statement for what Strasser and Moore aimed to represent: unparalleled performance pieces,” says Mr Joss Long, Sneaker Buyer at MR PORTER.

As for the colour palette, it’s well documented that Moore settled on a combination he considered strong, athletic and new. “They are not ‘fashion’ colours, but colours that are bold and modern,” says an adidas representative. “Black, white and sub-green dominate this straightforward collection.” By eschewing the trademark blue and opting instead for a trio of industrial hues, Moore made a statement that heralded a new age for the sportswear label, one that urged consumers to leave their hedonistic tastes in the 1980s. “EQT was all about a new branding scope for the company,” says Welty. “It was the future.”

Fast forward to the present and adidas is in the midst of celebrating the EQT line’s 30th anniversary. Conveniently, the milestone comes at a time when functional clothing is considered the epitome of style. Inspired by the original sneaker drop of 1991, adidas released four EQT sneakers on 3 November 2021 – two reissues and two never-before-seen silhouettes. Below, we acquaint – and reacquaint – you with the adidas EQT Running Support 93, CSG 91, Prototype and Race Walk.