A Wren Says

Adidas has had a string of designer collaborations of late. I’ve covered a few of them on my site, but a more exhaustive list includes: Gucci, Prada, Thebe Magugu, Stella McCartney, Balenciaga, Farm Rio, Ivy Park, Marimekko, Victoria Beckham, Jeremy Scott, Yohji Yamamoto, and probably more that I just can’t recall.

Naturally, my curiosity got the better of me, and I just had to know why. At the heart of it appears to be a spirit of innovation.

In their 2021 annual report, the company writes of their strategy from that point looking forward through to 2025. Essentially, they have divided their products into Performance (the bread and butter, the exercise and sport intended products), Originals (think the classic three stripe products), and now Sportswear. Sportswear is a newer approach intended to merge sport and lifestyle. Or more plainly the idea of streetwear.

Adidas, as a brand, recognize their credibility to consumers in terms of sport. They are trusted brand in the eyes of many athletes. With a specific focus on the sportswear category, they can enhance their credibility in the eyes of consumers in terms of lifestyle pieces. By working with other brands and celebrities they are able to take on various aesthetics in fresh new ways and stay relevant. Collaboration drives innovation in this arena.

Take the recent collaboration with Balenciaga. They are not only able to draw people who are focused on luxury, but they are also able to play with different looks than their designers might have felt comfortable putting forth. Working with Ivy Park helps them achieve their focus on increasing their women focused lines with a particularly feminine aesthetic (as well as garner interest from the Beyhive). And just my opinion, but having each of these collaborations helps them maintain brand consistency by managing each of these projects and looks under a moniker that is attached to a different brand. It distinguishes the products without confusing the consumer as to what their core products are.

Collaborations between brands appears to be ever popular these days. While it doesn’t appear to be stopping any time soon, I wonder how many more collaborations we will see in the coming year.

What are your thoughts? Have you bought any products from any cross brand collaborations? What was your experience?

For more on their strategy, check out the summary from the 2021 Adidas annual report.