For my entire life, Nike has been number one when it comes to sneakers. In the hearts and minds of sneaker enthusiasts, among streetwear circles and in terms of pure sales , there was no substitute for Nike. Recently Adidas has made in-roads on Nike’s dominance in the sportswear market. In the fiscal second quarter Adidas sales jumped 23% from a year ago. Beyond just the numbers there’s a real feeling that Nike is falling off in it’s product offerings while Adidas is gaining momentum with successive releases. Since the release of the first Yeezy 750 sneaker in February 2015, Adidas has gained massive popularity with it’s Adidas Originals line, in particular with Ultra Boosts and NMDs. It’s clear that Adidas has made plenty of great design and marketing designs in the past two years. However part of their growth has also come through Nike’s failure to adapt to current market demands. Being at the top for too long can naturally cause some level of complacency, I will break down some of what the areas where Nike is falling behind below.
