Adidas CEO Herbert Hainer was upbeat during the brand’s Q4 earnings announcement today, highlighting robust results in a variety of categories, including and especially the success of Adidas Originals Stan Smith and Superstar silhouettes. Said Herbert Hainer, “The Superstar on its own was sold more than 15 million times in 2015, it was by far the best selling sneaker of the year,” Hainer said the company is mindful of protecting the brand’s golden goose, saying, “We will carefully manage their life cycles to insure their longevity.
Hainer also mentioned the success of the newly launched NMD style and the wisdom of sticking with the Tubular style despite poor initial demand. Providing evidence of its popularity, he spoke of customers lining up during a New York City blizzard in January to purchase the shoe, a reference to the Ronnie Fieg x Adidas Originals Tubular Doom Primeknit, the first in a series of Tubular collaborations with Consortium stores worldwide.
Kanye West’s Boost 350 shoe was also mentioned, with the CEO stating that the shoe was enjoying unparalleled popularity, noting, “All seven iterations released so far have not only sold instantly but also played a major roll in propelling Adidas as the most popular sneaker brand on Instagram in 2015.”