Adidas: Diving Into Swimwear
Swimwear isn’t necessarily the first sport that comes to mind when everyday consumers think of the Adidas stripes. Under a license with Manhattan Beachwear, the company hopes to change that perception.
“To take nothing from [our competitors in swimwear]—because they are great companies—but they’ve been entrenched for so long, I think the market is looking for some newness and freshness,” said Kim Wagenaar of Manhattan Beachwear.
“The fact that Adidas is established as a brand, but not yet established through North America as a swim brand, really sets us apart and gives us an advantage.”
Like most athletic brands, the collection will have multiple tiers of distribution. The “performance” line will be geared toward athletic sporting-goods stores. Its “beach fashion” line will have an “athletic vein” with cooler styling. Bright colors, cropped bra silhouettes, and unique and interesting back details make it look out of the ordinary from the standard women’s athletic swimwear.Wagenaar describes the look as “something that you could be active in, should you choose, yet the styling is cool enough that you can hang out by the pool and have a margarita.”
For men, shorts were inspired by the famous Adidas basketball triple stripes for elastic volleys, e-boards and boardshorts. Wagenaar kept in mind that the shorts will spend more time dry than wet and added apparel design elements accordingly.
“They can throw a T-shirt on, and go run errands and do what they want to do. We’re not looking at this as strictly as a swim garment; the men’s category for swim isn’t as clear cut as it used to be.”
For more information, contact Brad Tobin at (212) 221-6152 or btobin@mbwswim.com or visit www.mbwswim.com.
—Rhea Cortado
