Adidas and winter sports may not be synonymous, but that hasn’t stopped the athletic giant from signing a multiyear partnership with leading alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin.
The downhill racer’s deal will focus on her training regimen — on the mountain and off — with the aim of inspiring younger athletes and nonathletes. That kind of content creation comes naturally for the athlete, who often posts images and videos of herself working out. Her cross-training includes trail running, hiking and yoga — other areas the global brand is trying to bolster. An Adidas spokeswoman said she was unable to share specifics about whether any other skiers endorse the brand. Shiffrin will be playing up Outdoor and Training for Adidas.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
In the overly crowded and fiercely competitive athletic business, companies are increasingly veering into sports and more lifestyle-oriented categories they may not have a foothold in. Such cross-pollination by Nike Inc., Under Armour Inc., Puma SE and other companies is meant to attract a wider base of consumers. Activewear accounted for 24 percent of all apparel sales last year and that figure is expected to grow this year, according to The NPD Group’s “Future of Apparel” study.
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Over Memorial Day weekend, the two-time Olympic gold medalist and three-time World Cup champion flew as a passenger with the U.S. Thunderbirds. A July post of Shiffrin doing pull-ups at the Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa has been viewed 244,000 times. In addition to being one of the dominant athletes in the world, she has shown off her own artistic skills — singing, strumming the guitar and playing piano. In the past few weeks Shiffrin has racked up nearly 259,300 views for her rendition of “Old Fitzroy.” As one of her followers noted, “The advertisers hit the jackpot with you!”
The 24-year-old was born in Colorado and amassed a record-breaking 17 World Cup wins in the 2018-19 season. Her breakout season coincided with the retirement of Lindsey Vonn, who officially left the race circuit in February. Shiffrin unveiled the deal with Adidas wearing a yellow hooded Adidas jacket and black leggings via an Instagram post from snowy Cerro Castor in Argentina.
While Shiffrin will no doubt be sporting more Adidas looks when not competing, like her fellow U.S. ski-team members, she races in Spyder, which has renewed and expanded its sponsorship deal with the team in advance of next year’s Winter Olympics in Beijing.