The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
NEW YORK, United States — Adidas AG is looking to better tap rapidly changing consumer tastes by increasing the pace of development and production, and, eventually, printing out customised shoes right in its stores.
“Trends change extremely fast these days,” chief executive Kasper Rorsted said in an interview with Euro am Sonntag. “What’s hot today in New York or Tokyo spreads in seconds around the world through social media.”
The German sports apparel giant is accelerating the time it takes to bring a new shoe to the market from as long as 15 months to six months or less, and aims to generate 50 percent of its revenue with such quick-turn products by 2020, Rorsted said.
The Herzogenaurach-based company also aims to make better use of its highly automated “Speedfactories” in Atlanta and Ansbach, Germany. For instance, the company could produce a special line of shoes the day after a team wins the Super Bowl or Germany’s Bundesliga soccer league, Rorsted said, adding that in-store shoe printing will probably be reality in 10 years.
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“We have to be able to react to trends faster,” said Rorsted. “Speed is a competitive advantage.”
By Chris Reiter; Editors: Chad Thomas, Nikos Chrysoloras, Keith Campbell.
From analysis of the global fashion and beauty industries to career and personal advice, BoF’s founder and CEO, Imran Amed, will be answering your questions on Sunday, February 18, 2024 during London Fashion Week.
The State of Fashion 2024 breaks down the 10 themes that will define the industry in the year ahead.
Imran Amed reviews the most important fashion stories of the year and shares his predictions on what this means for the industry in 2024.
After three days of inspiring talks, guests closed out BoF’s gathering for big thinkers with a black tie gala followed by an intimate performance from Rita Ora — guest starring Billy Porter.