The Wrath of Kanye Threatens Sneaker Maker Adidas
Plus, the Covid bicycle boom and a UK market meltdown.
Kanye West at the start of his partnership with Adidas.
Photographer: Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images
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In my childhood, Adidas sneakers were almost a rite of passage. The more affluent teenage members of my Liverpool community started with a pair of Adidas Kick, before graduating to Mamba, then Bamba, then Samba. Only in our late teens did the uniform expand to incorporate the diversity offered by SL76s, Stan Smiths, Gazelles and, for the true cognoscenti (typically those with older brothers who’d followed the local soccer team on its European jaunts and returned bearing Continental exotica), top-of-the-line models such as Forest Hills and Jeans. Nike Inc.’s offerings never, ever got a look in. My casual footwear collection remains exclusively dedicated to the German brand.