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Adidas is doubling down on its Pride efforts this year despite receiving backlash over its 2023 capsule celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community.
For 2024, the German athletic company has tapped Brazilian artist Pabllo Vittar to co-design this year’s Pride collection. The range includes updates to the brand’s Response CL, Superstar and Gazelle sneaker models, along with a pair of Adilette slides. The collection also includes accessories and apparel.
“Pride is very important to me, so I am deeply honored to create a collection with Adidas to celebrate our community,” Vittar said in a statement. “My aim for the collection was to expand the lens we’re seen through – a color palette that embodies and celebrates the wide spectrum of identities across our community and the culture it influences.”
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According to Adidas, the collection is designed to celebrate the confidence felt when athletes are comfortable in themselves. This comes at a time when 43 percent of the LGBTQIA+ community don’t participate in sport regularly, and nearly 50 percent would like to participate more, Adidas said.
The company added that the message behind the collection will be amplified by long standing adidas athletes and partners, including activations during Pride month and supporting the continued work of brand partner Athlete Ally.
“Our year-round collaboration with Athlete Ally works towards addressing the barriers to sport – fostering a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive world where everyone has access to participate,” Ashley Czarnowksi, senior director of global purpose at Adidas, said.
adidas Pride Superstar Pabllo Vittar Shoes
Athlete Ally founder and executive director Hudson Taylor added that since the company started working with Adidas in 2020, the duo have made “great strides” to drive greater allyship and more equitable practices in sport. “This summer, we continue our work together with the third Athlete Activism Summit where we hope to further break down barriers by providing the relevant education and tools to create greater athlete-to-athlete advocacy,” Taylor said.
To celebrate the new collection, Adidas has tapped Taylor along with LGBTQIA+ athletes and allies, Tom Daley, Layshia Clarendon, Stonewall FC London player Jo Kokkinopliti, to front this year’s Pride campaign.
This year’s collection follows the backlash the athletic brand received in 2023. Social media users called out the sportswear brand at the time for advertising a women’s swimsuit being worn by what people have assumed to be a biological male. The ad was part of Adidas’ Pride 2023 collaboration with South African queer designer Rich Mnisi.
In a statement at the time, Adidas said the collection was meant to “celebrate freedom of self-expression in all spaces of sport and culture.”
“This is reflected in a diverse line of models who bring the spirit of this collection to life,” the company added. “As one of the first brands to work in collaboration with LGBTQIA+ communities and as we’ve been doing for a number of years now, Adidas supports Pride and the celebration of many diverse communities around the world.”
The Adidas x Pabllo Vittar Pride collection is now available on the Adidas website, in stores and via the Adidas app.
