The footwear industry is a fickle one. Trends come and go. Collectors thirst after a shoe one day and ignore it the next. Sneakerheads swear by a brand and then won’t have anything to do with it less than 6 months later. It’s a game of ups and downs.
But right now, there’s no brand that’s more up than Adidas. They seemingly can do no wrong. 2015 was theirs, and the way it’s shaping up, 2016 is going to be theirs too. And before you start with the “well Nike sells more” talk, save it. We’re not discussing dollars here. We’re discussing cultural relevance and what’s important to sneakerheads.
Adidas is enjoying a hot streak the likes of which we haven’t seen since Nike SB’s were borderline impossible to get in the mid to late 2000’s. Their collabs with artists like Kanye West and Pusha T are hitting. Their new models like the NMDs and the Tubulars are flying off the shelves. They have the two best technologies in the sneaker game right now in Primeknit and Boost. They currently can do no wrong.
There’s two things that Adidas is doing better than any other brand right now: innovating and listening to what the people want. They’re at the forefront of design and technology, and they have an ear to the streets that allows them to produce desirable product and align themselves with the athletes, artists, and other brands that the people want. Combine that with Nike/Jordan’s seeming lack of innovation and uninspired releases (when was the last time people wanted a Jordan that wasn’t a re-release of an OG colorway or a collaboration with another brand? I’ll wait), and you can see why Adidas is really running tings, as their frequent collaborative partner Palace might say.
No matter how you feel about Adidas as a brand, you’ve got to respect and enjoy what they’re doing. They’re killing both the tech/design side and the marketing side of the game, and you might as well just sit back and enjoy the ride. They’ll make sure you’ve got plenty of fire kicks for it.
What do you think about Adidas? Are you a long-time fan? Have you just started warming up to the brand? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter, check out our Facebook page for daily updates, and, as always, be sure to follow us on Instagram for all the fire sneaker pictures you can handle.
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