The Million-Dollar Year-End Question: Did You Make a Difference?
We asked athletes and artists what they brought to the table this past year.
In search of an answer, we look back at the year through the lens of adidas creators from across sport, music and fashion. Some of them inspired us to get up, others to speak up. Some broke boundaries or personal records, others flipped conventions and challenged norms. Different people and different games, with one thing in common: a readiness to demonstrate creativity, confidence and imagination in their game, life and world to make a difference.
Here’s to our creators!
Pharrell Williams - Musician
Alexander Wang – Designer
“Everything about the collection, from its design to the way it is communicated, stems from the idea of flipping conventions about brands on their head. I felt that the most interesting and disruptive approach to the collaboration was to incorporate the heritage of an iconic brand like adidas while overturning commonly accepted rules and traditions of iconography and branding.”
Danielle Kang – Golfer
“I created a recipe on how to win. I wasn’t feeling great about my game but I had full confidence in what I had been working on and full belief in the golf course management that we planned out for ourselves. Most importantly, I believed in my own golf game.”
Paul Pogba – Footballer
“We’re lucky at United to have lots of players with great creativity, which pushes me to be better and helps me improve as well.”
Karlie Kloss – Model
“Running a marathon is something I never dreamed I would do. I did it! It’s single-handedly the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
Garbine Muguruza – Tennis Player
“The best thing is being part of history and achieving something you’ve dreamed of. I don’t know a lot of people who achieve what they have really dreamed of as a little girl. I just want to keep winning big trophies and make my own history.”
Sergio Garcia – Golfer
“I was able to create the biggest win of my career and bring so much happiness not only to my family and friends but to all my fans. I also created a better mindset to win The Masters by having a better acceptance of both the good and the bad moments on the course and I never stopped believing in myself throughout the whole tournament, even when it looked like my chances were almost gone.”
James Harden – Basketball Player
“I’m thankful for the opportunity to give back to “Michael R. Null middle school” who was heavily damaged by Hurricane Harvey, but you couldn’t tell by the smiles and laughs we had.”
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Thanks a lot for sharing your personal achievement! At adidas we believe it’s important to stay humble and keep learning from each other every single day while aiming for the best! It’s great to hear that you are trying to connect different stakeholders and bring collaboration to the next level… I wish you lots of success!
Cheers, Nevena
This is really inspiring! It is incredibly important to look at both our own achievements and failures and share the lessons learned with others. I wish you success with your book and mission to empower others to reach their best.
Cheers, Nevena
I'm a brand builder out of STL. When putting together events or giving gear i take the sports approach to my project. That's the adrenaline rush .