Superstars, Stan Smiths, and Sambas did not become iconic shoes overnight. German shoemaker Adidas has a long history that dates back to 1924, before a schism among partners in 1949 created what would become two rival companies, Puma and Adidas.

In a new interview with 032c, Adidas Creative Director Dirk Schonberger explains some of his secrets to longevity, and how a legacy brand can (and must) evolve over time.

On how he hires new talent:

I like to work with the most thought-provoking, strongest designers who have their own point of view. They're making fashion. They're not like, "Oh, now it's minimalism. Let's be minimal." They do their own thing, and take risks. That's why it was so important for me to bring those people into adidas. I would love to go bigger, but for now, let's see where it goes. I see adidas as a part of all cultures coming together—artists, singers, fashion designers, architects & athletes.

And on how to move forward without erasing the past:

No, the moment you try to create an iconic shoe, you will never make it iconic. I think it's more and more difficult to create an iconic shoe.

Today everyone's under pressure to create the new. The new for some people is completely new all the time, which I don't always agree with. I believe in evolution, and I think that adidas is a company that works through evolution, but the pressure from the outside is always for new, new, new. Think about women's handbags. There are only a few iconic handbags. Nowadays they are not even iconic anymore after four years. They are iconic for that time, and then they somehow drop dead. I wonder if there is something wrong with the way certain products are approached. But then again if you're not in the window of a browser anymore after a week, you are forgotten, so you need to stay relevant all the time. There's a pressure to put out new products, all the time. It's part of the reality that we deal with.

Read the full interview here. It's worth your time.