Experts have been going back and forth on whether or not athleisure is slipping in the trend-o-sphere (yeah, we’re coining this term). Under Armour’s sales continue to decline, Nike is losing teen followers, but Adidas is holding strong, according to Business Insider. Reportedly, the company’s earnings were up 35 percent in North America in 2017.
Here’s why:
Adidas has been enjoying a period of momentum following its success in the running category and others, thanks to releases like the UltraBoost, Adidas’ popular running shoe. Mark King, Adidas’ U.S. head, told Business Insider that Adidas’ success stems from its “investment in the right things,” like vintage-inspired Originals, training apparel, running, basketball and its “core” products.
While running is Adidas’ biggest category, King revealed the company has had major growth with its training apparel, which is the No. 2 category. First comes the sneakers, and then comes the apparel. King said that most of the company’s growth is due to the fashion side of the business, but he hopes this will trickle down to other sporting goods, like equipment and football cleats.
For promotional apparel suppliers and distributors looking to take advantage of athletic apparel, it looks like the trend remains stable for now. In fact, if you can corner the intersection of fashion-forward apparel with technical features, you might experience the same successes as Adidas.
