Have Adidas cracked female sportswear?

Written by Sophie Wyatt

After recently announcing their ‘Impossible is Nothing’ campaign, it has become clear that Adidas are taking inclusivity seriously moving forward. Statistically, women and members of the LGBTQ+ community are in considerably fewer numbers within the sports industry. There may be a number of reasons for this, but lack of representation is clearly one of the most significant reasons.

In a predominantly male dominated industry, it is vital that women and members of the LGBTQ+ community are able to feel represented fully. An image that is currently circling the internet is a mosaic of 25 different pairs of breasts. Showing exactly how different all women are ahead of the release of their latest sport bra marketing. The brands 43 new styles of sports bra are each created differently to fit women in the best way possible. This also comes after the brand released a range of ‘period-proof’ activewear to help prevent individuals from avoiding sports events due to menstruation. 

Adidas are among the sportswear giants that are responding to smaller, female-focused brands such as Lulu Lemon and Gym Shark who have been supporting female and LGBTQ+ athletes for years. A development in Adidas’ business strategy will be clearly exhibited through new products and a wider range of marketing languages.

The cooperation have previously, and continue to work with a number of grassroots initiatives to improve sports participation among women and underrepresented groups. A long-term partner of the Black Women’s Player Collective (BWPC), a non-profit organisation created to champion the representation of black athletes in football, it’s clear that Adidas have always been somewhat focused on promoting a diverse and inclusive sporting industry.

March will also see the launch of Adidas’ new ‘Breaking Barriers’ academy in Europe, which will provide gender gender equity learning resources for sports clubs, trainers and athletes. The brand says it will continue to invest ‘more than ever before’ in women and the LGBTQ+ community in sports.