Adidas x Everyone

You probably wouldn’t be shocked if we listed any brand on the right side of that little x. Adidas has mastered the art of collaboration—they’ve done close to 10 collaborations this year alone, but because we don’t want to write an entire book, we’ll only talk about a few of them. 

The one that comes to mind for most is their recent partnership with renowned designer brand Gucci. This collection stole the show at Milan Fashion Week—we’ve never seen a fancier tracksuit. Adidas and Gucci bring different strengths to the table, but putting them together sets a new high standard for the rising trend of luxury activewear. 

Adidas has also taken the opposite track and partnered with extremely niche establishments like Georgia-based Waffle House. The end result was a sneaker with a waffle-like outer sole that appeared to have syrup dripping from it—it looked so real that you could have been tempted to lick it! 

Unsurprisingly, Adidas has also collaborated with nonprofit organizations that improve the planet. Their recent partnership with Parley for the Oceans resulted in a collection of shoes made from recycled ocean plastics. Even if you don’t buy these particular shoes, knowing that Adidas cares about the environment makes you feel better about buying from them in general. 

Adidas has reached collaboration Nirvana because they can partner with anyone. They model the difference between finding a good partner and being a good partner. Adidas is a stellar partner because anything you do with them will enhance your brand. Even Gucci, which doesn’t need much help in regards to brand image, is uplifted by associating with Adidas. 

Adidas uses collaborations systematically to reveal different characteristics of their brand, and none of them are offensive. Not one of their collaborations reflects poorly on their brand, even if they don’t appeal to everyone. 

That should alleviate the stress that a collaboration could alienate an audience. The risk of doing so is much lower when you collaborate often and strategically. In fact, Adidas can reach nearly any audience because the diversity of their collaboration partners allows them to seamlessly integrate into every imaginable market. 

We dare you to come up with a type of person that wouldn’t buy from Adidas. If you can think of someone, Adidas has probably already planned the collaboration that will hook them.