When it comes to apparel collaborations with sporting good companies, back in the day, such collaborations would be with your more traditional athletes in the field of football, soccer, basketball, golf, and so on. However, these days the term athlete has gotten a lot broader where it now, to a certain extent, covers those who play eSports professionally.
When it comes to brand deals with sports brands, it makes sense that these deals would be signed with more traditional athletes who might actually use their products. However, the definition of an athlete is starting to change these days, where pro gamers are being lumped into that category as well.
As we are starting to look towards a more sustainable future, we’re starting to see companies take the initiative, such as Starbucks who will no longer provide straws to customer to cut down on the amount of plastic that we use. However, if there is one industry that we might not necessarily think too much about, it would be shoes.
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The wearable market is a tough one to track and Adidas is one of the many companies that have come to that realization. Adidas is shutting down its digital sports organization and it’s also shaking up what remains of its digital efforts. Adidas will basically not be developing wearable hardware but it’s going to create digital experiences nonetheless.
Shopping apps are a dime a dozen, and pretty much any retailer worth their salt will have an app of sorts that will allow shoppers to shop using their mobile devices. However for some reason and despite seemingly eagerly embracing new technologies, Adidas has lacked a mobile shopping app of their own.
While Adidas might be primarily seen as a company that makes casual and sports shoes, the company’s interest in technology has been pretty obvious. For example back in the day with the iPod, companies such as Adidas and Nike launched sensors that could be embedded in compatible shoes to help measure things like the wearer’s stride.
Plastic floating about in our oceans has been a problem and is still a problem today. However as far as Adidas is concerned, they are looking to do their part for the environment. You might recall that the company had previously started to produce shoes made out of ocean plastic, and it looks like they’ll be continuing that practice this year with their UltraBOOST shoes.
Shoes right now come in a variety of generic sizes in which for some who are lucky, fit like a glove. For others who aren’t so lucky, they might have to wear a size up or down and pad it with socks to get a good fit. This is where 3D printing comes in handy where shoes could be produced to fit the feet of the wearer precisely.
Adidas is a company known for their sport and casual wear, but it looks like the company is expanding their offerings as they have recently launched an app called “All Day” which is basically a fitness app that is aimed at women. The app is currently in beta and is set for a release this coming summer where it will be available on iOS and Android.
The concept of 3D printing shoes isn’t new. After all if shoes could be made to fit the feet of customers specifically, like a tailored shirt or pants, and done in an efficient manner, why not? Adidas has attempted 3D printed shoes in the past, like earlier this year where they created special 3D printed shoes for athletes who won medals during the 2016 Rio Olympics.