adidas may have been considered an underdog in the game in previous years, but they've made huge strides in the U.S. in the last twelve months alone. From the ZX Flux to the Pure Boost, and more recently, the new Yeezys, it was easily their biggest year in the States since the days of Kobe and T-Mac. Still, as hot as they were in 2014, there's always room for improvement. A recent interview with dezeen Magazine sheds some light on the brand's plans for the future.
Executive Board Member for Global Brands Eric Liedtke says adidas is planning to focus on design as a conduit to increase its U.S. presence. "I need to overcompensate in America from a design point of view. I need to get this right [in the USA], because we're not having the success we are in Europe right now," said Liedtke.
He went on to explain, "One of the places we've been weakest is in the States, so we went out and recruited top design talent from our competition and we're going to open up a new studio here in Brooklyn. We're going to look at different design studios so we can continually infuse fresh thinking into us." By top design talent, Liedtke is likely referring to last year's exodus of former Nike designers Marc Dolce, Denis Dekovic, and Mark Miner to the Three Stripes.
Elsewhere, Liedtke touches on the brand's peers: "I think competition always brings out the best. And our industry seems to be uber competitive. We're very aware of what our competition is doing every minute of every day. That doesn't mean we obsess over it, but we're aware of it." Do you think adidas is on the right track to U.S. dominance, or are they worrying too much about what the other guys are doing? Check out the full interview here.
[via dezeen Magazine]
