Marimekko Teams With Adidas for First Sport Performance Line
Marimekko is taking the plunge into the booming sports apparel market.
The Finnish brand, known for its colorful prints, has teamed with Adidas on a limited-edition collection that blends its proficiency in printmaking with the German company’s expertise in performance.
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The first joint Adidas x Marimekko collection features two signature Marimekko prints: Annika Rimala’s Laine (wave) print from 1965 and Maija Louekari’s Räsymatto (rag rug) from 2009. The bold patterns were translated onto Adidas’ signature performance fabrics for a capsule that encompasses everything from running, cycling and swimwear apparel to lifestyle pieces.
There are 30 total pieces, many of which are available in multiple colorways. Although focused on women, there are also some men’s styles.
Among the hero products in the line are a free-flowing, black-and-white midi tank dress, which is an update of an Adidas Originals piece in the Laine print; a woven track top and cuffed track pant made from 100 percent recycled PES and Primegreen materials; a performance running short in Adidas’ Aeroready fabric designed to keep an athlete dry, and Primegreen, a graphic cycling jersey, available for both men and women in Aeroread and Primeblue, a fabric created from recycled yarns sourced from ocean plastic.
The collection also features footwear, both high-performance running shoes as well as more street-skewed styles such as a reimagined rendition of Adidas’ classic Stan Smith sneakers.
Josefine Aberg, vice president of design at Adidas, characterized the partnership as “a collision of two iconic brands,” both of which have been “pushing the boundaries around style and innovation for seven decades.”
Aberg added that as a Finnish native, she grew up with Marimekko: “I have always held their designs close to my heart. The opportunity to collaborate with them, a brand who shares the same values of combining functionality and style while using more sustainable materials and methods, felt like such an exciting and natural opportunity.”
Rebekka Bay, creative director of Marimekko, called the partnership “a match made in heaven” that “captured the zeitgeist of both brands.”
“We are immensely proud to present this collection with Adidas,” she added. “Since Marimekko’s beginnings 70 years ago, our philosophy has been that one should be able to run in a dress, and this collection brings this empowering idea to life in a whole new dimension. Marimekko’s bold prints fit Adidas’ innovative and boundary-pushing sports apparel perfectly — this functional yet playful collection aims to spark the joy of exploration in everyday lives.”
She pointed to the sustainable message of the collection as another bonus, since it is a key initiative for both brands.
Bay also said Marimekko views the collaboration as an opportunity to introduce the brand to more people around the world, “and we hope its message of positivity, curiosity and self-empowerment will inspire many.”
A campaign to unveil the collection will feature women of all shapes, sizes and ages and be centered around “diversity and inclusion,” Bay said.
The Adidas x Marimekko collection will retail for $28 to $180 and will launch on both brands’ e-commerce sites and at select retail stores globally on June 1 before rolling out to other regions and wholesale accounts on June 15 and July 1.
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