adidas on Saturday "will try to lift its street cred by releasing the third version of its popular Yeezy Boost shoe with rapper Kanye West," according to Ellen Emmerentze Jervell of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. adidas "has struggled for years to regain its cool status, particularly in the U.S." To boost the new shoe’s "air of exclusivity and draw attention, Adidas is deliberately releasing far fewer of the model than the market seems to want." At some footwear stores around the world, "eager shoppers have camped out for days to buy the shoes, which retail for $200." adidas hopes that the tactic "will add allure to the rest of its product line." The buzz "is a welcome change for Adidas, which repeatedly cut its profit outlook in 2014 amid sagging demand." One reason the Boost shoes "have sparked optimism for Adidas is that it isn’t marketing them on trendiness alone." Boost soles "use a proprietary plastic from German chemicals company BASF SE that the companies say provides demonstrably superior athletic performance." Company officials said that Boost "allows Adidas to play to its technical strength amid renewed consumer interest in performance and product quality." Industry experts that said adidas' retro approach "is particularly relevant to athletes focused on performance" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8/21).
DIFFERENT STRIPES: adidas announced that Heat F Justise Winslow "signed a shoe deal" with the company. NBCSPORTS.com's Kurt Helin wrote Winslow "could grow into a quality player in a popular market," which "is just what Adidas is looking for" (NBCSPORTS.com, 8/20). Meanwhile, in Portland, Allan Brettman cited a lawsuit from adidas as claiming that L.A.-based retailer Forever 21 and N.Y.-based apparel company Central Mills have "run afoul of and infringe upon Adidas' three-stripe trademark." The lawsuit filed this week in federal court in Portland accuses the businesses of "knowingly offering clothing for sale that features Adidas' U.S.-trademarked three stripes." While the lawsuit "refers to unauthorized 'products' using three stripes design, it does not specify what items of clothing may be infringing." However, a photograph included in the document "does." The item in question is a "long-sleeve shirt featuring the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, with three stripes extending from the collar down the sleeves; and another shirt, featuring Looney Tunes characters ... again displaying the three-stripe sleeve motif" (Portland OREGONIAN, 8/20).
