Two brands that most people would never expect to see a collaboration from are Gucci and Adidas. Gucci and Adidas collaborated for a collection that was launched on June 7th, 2022. The collaboration was designed by Creative Director Alessandro Michele. These brands are extremely different and are in two completely different areas of the fashion industry. Gucci is a luxury brand that focuses on extremely nice and expensive clothing, shoes, bags, accessories, and perfume. Adidas is a sportswear brand that focuses on functional and comfortable clothing, shoes, and items for athletes to wear. These companies have very different demographics and styles of products so the collaboration between them is extremely interesting! 

The Inclusions Of The Collaboration

When considering other collaborations, many of them only create a few products and designs. However, the Gucci X Adidas collaboration was very encompassing. The lookbook for the collaboration has 60 images with many different items within each image. It has a good mix of both Adidas products with the Gucci logo and Gucci products with the Adidas logo. There are many different shoe options, street wear options, athleisure options, jewelry, and more. The price range is definitely more similar to Gucci’s prices with the cheapest item being $235 and the most expensive being $3,980. This price range was expected because Gucci is a luxury company, so they cannot offer products at Adidas’ normal price range. 

Products

The collaboration between the brands included every apparel product you could think of including tennis shoes, tank tops, shorts, sweatshirts, rings, purses, jackets, skirts, slippers, t-shirts, bracelets, duffels, tracksuits, dresses, silk bows, sweatbands, headbands, heels, moccasins, pants, belts, scarfs, clogs, hats, necklaces, socks, button ups, swimsuits, hair clips, golf bags, wallets, and umbrellas. All of the products are branded with both the Gucci and Adidas logos. Many have the Adidas logo with the Gucci name on it. Many of the shoes have the classic three stripes that Adidas is known for. 

The products are available on Gucci’s website, here. The products being listed for sale on Gucci’s website rather than Adidas’ makes a lot of sense because of the price point. The items in this collaboration are much closer to Gucci’s price point than Adidas, so it is easier to appeal to Gucci’s customers who are expecting to spend more money when on Gucci’s website rather than Adidas’ customers who are expecting to purchase items priced much lower. 

This collaboration is a great way for both companies to reach new demographics. It provides Adidas with an opportunity to enter the luxury fashion industry, and allows Gucci to enter the sportswear fashion industry. Many of the items from the collaboration are tennis and golf items, which fits both Gucci and Adidas customer’s wants. These products find a perfect mix between casual and luxury and allows for the quality and look of Gucci products with the comfort of Adidas products. A lot of the products are also very colorful and vivid. Most of the designs are extremely eye-catching and bold, like Gucci’s usual products. However, there are also some designs and products that have more of a casual and classic look like Adidas’ products usually follow. 

Gazelle Sneakers

The main aspect of this collaboration is the shoes. There are many different designs of the Gazelle sneakers released for both men and women.  There are 7 designs and colors available in the men’s shoes and the women’s shoes. Some options are the same for both men and women styles and some are different. 

Engraved Band Ring

The collaboration also launched a new version of Gucci’s most classic ring, their silver engraved band ring. The original ring has the Gucci Gs along with another shape alternating on it. Gucci already has a bumble bee and ghost version of the ring, with this collaboration they added one that includes the Adidas logo. There are three different widths for the ring and the Adidas version is available in all three of the widths. 

Double-Sided Hat

The collaboration released a very interesting and never before created item. Gucci X Adidas released the double-sided hat. There are five different color combination options for this hat. Each side of the hat has the logo of one of the brands. The Gucci side is always beige, but the Adidas side is either dark blue, light blue, green, black, or purple. The hat can be worn either way to showcase one logo in the back and one in the front, or can be used sideways. 

Some Background on Gucci

Gucci is a luxury brand of fashion and leather goods. There are 483 directly owned Gucci stores throughout the world, but Gucci items are offered in other stores not directly owned by the brand. The first ever Gucci store was opened in Florence, Italy in 1921 which makes it over a century old. The brand has become extremely modern and innovative through the years which makes it one of the most sensational fashion companies. 

The History of Gucci

Gucci was founded in 1921 by Guccio Gucci. It was started with the opening of the brand’s first store in Florence, Italy and this store is still operating today in the heart of Florence. Gucci originally sold leather goods, specifically the fine saddles and equestrian accessories were the most popular. 

In 1935 there was a shortage of leather in Italy because of sanctions placed against the country. Gucci was forced to pivot to keep the company successful, so they developed a woven hemp emblazoned with a series of connecting brown diamonds with a tan background. This expanded the type of products the company made by adding an entirely new material. 

In 1938, Guccio’s three sons joined the company and expanded it to Rome. In 1947, there was another lack of materials that pushed the brand to start using pigskin and bamboo. In 1953, Gucci expanded to the United States and Guccio Gucci sadly passed away. The company was continued by his sons. 

In 1955 the Gucci logo, the GG crest, was officially a registered trademark. From then on, Gucci’s success just kept rising along with their variety of products. Their items were continuously spotted on famous and important people, which helped their success greatly. Even now that the brand is extremely established and successful, Gucci works hard to stay at the front of the industry and keep their innovative edge on the fashion world. This collaboration with Adidas, a sportswear company, just goes to showcase that. 

Gucci’s Product Categories

Gucci has a lot of variety within their products, but they carry the normal product categories that other luxury fashion companies do. These include: 

• Handbags
• Travel Items
• Clothing
• Shoes
• Purses & Small Accessories
• Wallets & Small Accessories
• Accessories
• Gifts
• Children’s Items (Ages 0-12)
• Jewelry & Watches
• Beauty
• Decor & Lifestyle

Their products have options for men and women, along with very neutral options that work for any gender. 

Some Background on Adidas

Adidas is an athletic apparel company. The brand has a large variety of products ranging from clothing to sporting goods to shoes. Although Adidas is a multinational corporation, it was founded in Germany, where its headquarters remain today.

The History of Adidas

In 1924, Adi Dassler registered the company with the goal of providing athletes with the most top tier equipment possible. It all began in Adi’s mother’s wash kitchen, but with a big goal and mission in mind the company had a lot of potential. Dassler spoke to a lot of athletes when creating his shoes. He took the shoes to athletes so they could test them and give their feedback. He utilized this feedback to increase the comfort and effectiveness of them. Professional athletes such as Lina Radke wore the shoes in competitions. 

In 1949, he registered a shoe that encompassed the registration of the 3 stripes that became Adidas signature characteristic. This was basically a re-start for the company, and this time Adi Dassler hired almost 50 employees to help build his brand and company. 

In 1954, Adidas became a household name. The German national football team wore Adidas shoes with an innovative piece to them. The shoes were lightweight and had screw-in studs on the bottom of them. The German team played the Hungarians, who were undefeated until this World Cup Final loss. Germany won the World Cup and this victory was discussed for years after, along with Adidas and their pioneering football boots. This impressive shoe was called the Dassler boot and was half the weight of the orthodoc English football boots that were worn at the time. 

In 1967, Adidas entered the apparel industry. The brand designed and launched its first tracksuit which eventually sparked more and more clothing products to be released by Adidas in the years to come. In 1970, Adidas created the official football ball for the 1970 World Cup, this began the partnership that exists until this day between the FIFA World Cup and Adidas. Ever since the beginning, Adidas has utilized the opinions of athletes who use their products to keep innovating and improving them. By actually listening to those who utilize their products, the company is able to keep their strong competitive edge and create the best products. 

Adidas’ Product Categories

Adidas has many different options for athletes when it comes to sportswear and sports items. The brand makes items for men and women, along with many products that are neutral and would be great for anyone to wear and enjoy. They have all the items an athlete would need to be successful in their activities. The product categories that the company sells includes: 

• Shoes
• Clothing
• Accessories

The company’s website also has an option to shop by sport, which is very helpful for athletes. This aspect of the website places all items an athlete may need for their specific sport in one place for a very convenient shopping experience. The sports available in this function include:

• Basketball
• Cycling
• Golf
• Hiking & Outdoor
• Running
• Skateboarding
• Soccer
• Softball
• Swim
• Tennis
• Volleyball
• Workout & Gym
• Yoga

Final Thoughts On The Brilliant Collaboration Between Gucci And Adidas

Overall, Gucci and Adidas both benefited immensely from this collaboration. Quantitatively they benefitted by making the profits from selling the actual product themselves, which were priced quite expensively. Furthermore, they both gained a lot of publicity from the collaboration. Both companies were already extremely successful and popular on their own, so they were not banking on this collaboration for that. The companies were attempting to be innovative and do the unexpected. Because of the vast differences between the companies, their products, and their demographics their collaboration was never expected, which intrigued customers to see what it included. The collaboration included a good mix of sporty clothing and regular luxury clothing, with of course some luxury items as well. This was a good mix of Adidas and Gucci, while ensuring Gucci did not stray from its unique and distinct vibe. The collaboration helped both brands merge into eachothers different industries and demographics.