Adidas

The brand known for its running shoes is making its mark in the basketball business after signing 18-year-old NBA Draft top pick Cooper Flagg.

Sportswear brands are taking digs at each other in light of the NBA Finals. But as trash talk becomes more embraced within greater public discourse, many fashion brands are riling up to the occasion.

Dick’s Sporting Goods’ acquisition of Foot Locker will have impacts on the rest of the industry, from brands such as Nike and Adidas to rival retailers like JD Sports.

The company’s new supershoe for elite runners, the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 2, has arrived, and with a revamped running portfolio, Adidas aims to get more casual runners in its sneakers, too.

Just a few years ago, designer sneakers were an “it” item driving huge sales. Today the situation has changed, though they still have their place in luxury’s arsenal.

According to its annual report, Nike produced 50 percent of its footwear and 28 percent of its apparel in Vietnam in its 2024 fiscal year.

The women’s sneaker market is growing alongside rising interest in women’s sports and casualised dress codes that prioritise comfort. Yet there’s more to addressing female sneaker shoppers than just releasing another trendy low-profile silhouette.

Brands like Patagonia, Nike and Lululemon have been working for years to address the exploitation of migrant workers at key fabric suppliers in Taiwan. Despite some progress, the issue has persisted.

The collection, which will feature high-end reworkings of Adidas’ most iconic items, arrives as the brand’s archive helps to drive its global popularity.

With so many brands peddling new performance technologies, it can be hard for shoppers to understand what makes one product better than another. It's on brands to nail the right mix of form and function.