The white sneakers that fueled Adidas' crazy US growth seems to be fading
The sports retailer told analysts in an earnings call that the trend which has buoyed Adidas' growth in the US may have peaked.
"I think it's the cycle slowing down. Superstars and Stan Smiths have been around a long time and they have waves that they come through," CEO Dick Johnson said in an earnings call on Friday.
Johnson said the sneakers are still selling, just not as quickly as it once did like last year, when "every teenage female, potentially in the world, needed to have a pair," according to Johnson. The Superstar was also the best-selling sneaker overall according to industry analysts NPD Group, the first time the brand had a shoe in the top spot in a year.
It's no surprise that the shoes have hit their peak, as any fashion trend ebbs and flows and the two Adidas models have been popular for a few years now.
Adidas, which has made a conscious effort to reorient their business to respond more efficiently to its customers' changing preferences and buying trends especially in the US, is likely ready for the change in trends.
Adidas US exec Mark King told Business Insider in May after the company posted staggering 36% growth in the US that, while the retro Originals line was still the hottest seller, other lifestyle running shoe models like UltraBoost are gaining.