adidas Basketball unveils The 2023 Collection: Chapter 01, the first of the brand’s series of premium offerings
Source: adidas Basketball Unveils the 2023 Collection: Chapter 01 & Premieres “Remember the Why” Brand Film
The aesthetic of adidas’ latest collection is pure Fear of God although Jerry Lorenzo and his camp have stated they are no longer involved with adidas Basketball. Whether this is a case of adidas looking to capitalize on their working relationship with the designer, doesn’t matter. Data shows basketball is flat for adidas. The segment is trending up for Nike, but basketball is stagnant for other brands. A lifestyle play for adidas makes sense, but adidas is cutting itself off at the knees due to the lack of information around their relationship with Lorenzo. If this collection dropped as a Fear of God collab, interest would be considerable, but the lines are blurred, and uncertainty surrounds this new collection. It shouldn’t matter that Fear of God isn’t attached to the release. The drop looks good and is on trend, and that should be enough. The reality is sneaker culture and sneakers as fashion are built on two critical aspects Hip-Hop culture and Basketball sneakers becoming fashion staples. In the past this drove the hyped area of sneaker sales. For adidas, entertainers still drive their business and without Yeezy or FOG things aren’t looking good for the Three Stripes. The limited and hyped sneaker product lines require collaboration because the balance has moved away from athletes, not completely, but enough that a drop as nice as Chapter 01 will end up sitting without that connection. Sneaker culture in the process of becoming mainstream has left basketball behind, which means basketball is no longer the foothold for where sneaker growth takes place.
I make the statement ‘sneaker culture has become mainstream’, because the definition of sneakerhead has shifted. In the 80s and 90s, the brown shoe market still existed. Sebago, Rockport, Timberland, all were companies with prominent play in fashion. As the lines between Hip-Hop and basketball began to merge, on-court: tennis court, basketball court, and football, all moved from the field of sport into everyday wear. Music entertainers took the jersey on as a part of the wardrobe. The exciting colors of Black fashion brands from WuWear, Walker Wear, FUBU and Cross Colors, made their way onto sneakers. Nike, Reebok and adidas began seeding entertainers and sneakers were no longer cemented to their sports, they became a part of the neighborhood uniform. Women also carried this trend from jazzercise and fitness to the street which evolved into yoga pants and sneakers for both work and play, but sneaker culture was birthed during the 80s and 90s. As a variety of retro sneakers gained steam in the marketplace in the 2000s, basketball sneakers became less important as a lifestyle option. Hoop sneakers are performance designed and tend to be less flexible and made with the type of construction that has to be broken in after a few on-court activities. Hoops shoes just aren’t as comfortable as less performance driven footwear.
Performance footwear in the 2000’s was supplanted by brands seeking to cater to comfort in sneakers over performance. Brown shoes were declining, and basketball was king allowing for the creation of retro, but retro’s rise was a harbinger for basketball. By the mid 2000’s rappers had more sneaker deals than athletes. Reebok launched the G-Unit and S.Carter sneakers. The Ice Cream collection and Lugz filled print media. When the 2010s arrived, basketball performance footwear began declining. The segment had a few last gasps. For Nike, in 2012 and a touch in 2014 with the All-Star Weekend Galaxy Collection and the All-Star NOLA Gumbo Collection interest was as high as ever, but after the Kyrie launch for Nike, basketball as casual was over. Under Armour had a moment with the launch of the Curry 1 in 2015. adidas signing a new class of hoopers did very little. A roster of James Harden, Damian Lillard, a diminished Derrick Rose and Candace Parker did very little in exciting fans of the brand.
Today, adidas Basketball appears to be cloaked in confusion. Is the division in Portland or Los Angeles? Is Jerry Lorenzo involved with a collection that looks extremely familiar to fans of Fear of God? Is Trae Young enough to carry basketball with an aging roster of signature hoopers? Why on Earth does Trae Young have a signature, but not Anthony Edwards who is Ja Morant’s counter for adidas? Questions are easy to generate around adidas, but the most important aspect is hooping sneakers are officially a seasonal item akin to soccer boots and track spikes. Brands like Puma have rolled out their star’s signature drops as limited release items. The LaMelo line has been successful on a small scale, but the second version of the shoe isn’t as popular, and the limited strategy isn’t driving engagement as it did in his rookie season. adidas pursuing the market via a confused lifestyle play is hindering the potential of the collaboration with Fear of God. Instead of adidas leaning into a discussion around what has happened with Lorenzo, the company is radio silent. Fear of God won’t answer e-mails and fans who were waiting on a collection that looks like this are dropping tweets and comments saying, “No Yeezy and no Fear of God = adidas is over.” For Nike, basketball is a segment regaining steam, but this has to be tempered. Basketball sneakers simply aren’t lifestyle anymore, but hoops-inspired apparel remains a relevant aspect of fashion. Can Chapter 01 overcome the lack of attachment to FOG?
The History of adidas Basketball: Origins of the 2023 Collection
The adidas Basketball 2023 Collection is rooted in the hype and brand recognition the FOG partnership gave adidas. In the pictures for the Chapter 01 the models wear the adidas Rivalry high and low, retro inspired sneakers previously worn by Patrick Ewing before he created his own sneaker company. Those sneakers are on-trend and offer adidas alignment with retro trends as opposed to performance basketball. In the story of Chapter 01, adidas has finally moved in the right direction to operate sans influencers leading the company. They delivered a historical timeline of adidas in basketball. Unfortunately, it’s underwhelming and doesn’t move the reader to an emotional connection. The Three Stripes feels disconnected in their most important touchpoint areas, the website. People either buy in-store (Foot Locker’s visual merchandising isn’t very strong and adidas doesn’t have enough brand doors in the U.S.), in the app or on the website. If the story isn’t being told in a consistent manner, there really isn’t a story. There are currently two items marked as best sellers for this collection, but with no broken sizes are they really best sellers? If FOG was attached these items would potentially be in resale territory, but maybe that’s the problem. I’m looking at this as a limited strategy, when adidas needs real growth and brand loyalty. Maybe a slow burn is just what the brand needs.