Adidas’ new, stylish Gen Z line is the biggest launch in 50 years

With its football-inspired aesthetic, sportswear fits with Blokecore, the Gen Z trend that’s been sweeping TikTok in 2022. “When designing the collection, we thought about how Gen Z likes to style Blokecore with their everyday wear, whether they’re doing a TikTok or when they’re shopping and hanging out with friends,” says Jasmin Bynoe, Sportswear Senior Designer at Adidas. “We want to hold on to the adidas DNA and fuse performance and original elements while evolving with the consumer and the way they express themselves.”

Globally, sports-inspired apparel was valued at $88.5 billion in 2022 and is projected to surpass performance apparel (worth $97.6 billion in 2022) by 2027, says Euromonitor analyst Marguerite LeRolland, driven from the largest apparel and footwear markets around the world including the US, China and in Europe.

There will be seasonal sportswear drops with refreshed product offerings, but Adidas wants to ensure all designs are as comfortable and versatile as possible, rather than following micro trends, Arana adds. “We’re seeing a shift towards a more mindful ‘capsule wardrobe’ and the sportswear products are all staples that can be styled in many different ways depending on the occasion or the season. That’s one thing that sets us apart from other brands in the industry.”

Post-Covid, consumers are looking for ways to simplify their lives (45 percent of global respondents) and feel stylish (33 percent), says LeRolland. 60 percent of respondents worldwide cite “comfort” as the most important criterion for purchasing clothing, she adds, according to Euromonitor’s Voice of the Consumer, Lifestyle Survey 2022.

The collection will feature a range of new sneaker models that take elements from some of Adidas’ best-selling performance shoes, from the Boost to the 4D. “Gen Alpha and Gen Z, they don’t know the Adidas classics. So for them it could be the Avryn that’s their iconic shoe, they could be like, ‘Remember when they did that with the Boost and switched it?’”

The sportswear design team constantly monitors Generation Z’s styling habits on social media, on research trips and in conversations with young athletes to create pieces that meet their needs. For example, for the Tiro tracksuit in this first collection, there’s a double waistband on the pants to accommodate Gen Zs wearing their pants lower on their hips, Bynoe says.

Looking to the future, Adidas believes in the longevity of sportswear. Arana says she and her teams are already planning the label by Fall/Winter 2024. “We have ambitious goals for sportswear and are confident it will resonate with the target audience as new products and cross-business collaborations are already in the works.”

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