Dive Brief:
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Kardashian clan member and reality-television star Kendall Jenner on Wednesday announced via Twitter than she is joining her brother-in-law Kanye West as an Adidas style influencer. She had previously hinted at the gig on social media two weeks ago with a childhood photo of herself sporting Adidas gear.
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Adidas seemed to confirm the news with a tweeted reply to Jenner containing just a blue heart, though a request for confirmation from Retail Dive was not immediately returned.
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Adidas has regained its number two spot in sports gear retail from Under Armour, with a concerted effort to boost its streetwear designs — a strategy that has prominently featured hip-hop star and fashion designer West.
Dive Insight:
After five bad years in the United States, Adidas last year announced a three-pillar turnaround strategy, emphasizing: Speed, Key Cities and Open Source. The company gave further details of that strategy later in the year, and it’s been roaring back since tapping former Henkel chief Kasper Rorsted to replace the embattled Herbert Hainer as CEO.
The German sports apparel giant in March reported revenue growth in nearly all market segments for the fourth quarter and full-year 2016, and increased its sales and earnings guidance into 2020. Adidas also said then that it intends to strongly accelerate sales and earnings growth until 2020 as part of its long-term strategic business plan, dubbed “Creating the New.”
The company expects currency-neutral sales to increase on average 10% and 12% annually between 2015 and 2020, a boost from its previous guidance for a “high-single-digit rate.” Net income from continuing operations is projected to grow between 20% and 22% on average per year in that period, up from previous guidance of closer to 15% on average.
As part of its comeback, Adidas has increased its collection of streetwear and ramped up its partnership with athletes as well as creatives. The brand announced that it is expanding its relationship with music and fashion icon West, for example, developing “a Yeezy-branded entity creating footwear, apparel and accessories for all genders across street and sport.”
While it's unclear exactly what role Jenner will play as a style ambassador, her popularity among millenials and Gen Z, especially on social media, was likely a key incentive for the partnership.
officially joining the @adidasoriginals fam #adidasAmbassador #adidasOriginals pic.twitter.com/en4sw5fOek
— Kendall (@KendallJenner) May 31, 2017