Adidas Execs Past and Present Remember Legendary Designer Markus Thaler

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Adidas and several of its former and current employees are celebrating the legacy of legendary designer Markus Thaler in the wake of his recent passing.

Thaler, who was reportedly 71 when he died last week, joined Adidas as a shoe technician and modeler in 1967. He eventually rose to become one the most prominent creatives at the company, responsible with Jacques Chassaing for the creation of the iconic ZX series , which launched in 1984 as a line of running sneakers designed for various running needs and wearer capabilities. The shoes in the line were structured by numbers and colors for pronation and supination.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Markus Thaler,” Adidas said in a statement to FN. “A master of his craft, [Markus] became one of the best shoemakers the industry has ever seen. His contributions to the brand and impact on the industry are immense. Markus leaves behind a legacy that truly embodied the three stripes. He will be greatly missed. We express our sincere condolences to the Thaler family.”

Other Adidas employees took to LinkedIn last week to share their thoughts on the legendary designer as well.

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“Today is a sad day for the entire sneaker industry,” wrote Adidas vice president of brand strategy Matthias Rippel in LinkedIn post last week. “We said goodbye to Markus Thaler, arguably the best shoemaker this industry has ever seen. Today’s icons and most collectible sneakers, such as the ZX series, would not have become what they are in culture today without Markus. For more than 47 years, he lived and breathed the three stripes like hardly anyone else. His spirit and knowledge, and his great stories, are still in our hearts and memories and will always have a place in Herzo. Open a Tiger beer and cheers to Markus.”

Several industry leaders, including former Adidas brand president Eric Liedtke , expressed similar sentiments via comments on Rippel’s post.

“Sad day indeed,” Liedtke wrote. “Markus was a legend. RIP.”

Adidas’ global director of athlete services Fabian Schweizer commented: “A true legend and a master of the craft that I was more than fortunate to learn from and study his ways of working. Many many times I have used the knowledge and skill that I have learned from ‘Mr. Thaler,'” he said.

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