All language subtitles for Sneaker.Wars.Adidas.V.Puma.S01E02.1080p.WEB.h264-GRACE

-[indistinct chatter]
-Er, did you hear about Kanye?

I heard something happened, like,
with Yeezys and Kanye West.

He's always got some shit to say
about Adidas.

I don't know what the status is.

By all accounts, it seems like Yeezy
and Adidas has been a strong partnership,

but lately you haven't sounded

-too happy about it.
-[♪ dramatic instrumental music playing]

[Brendan] I feel like these things
have been building up in ways

that we didn't realise before
or weren't always made public.

[Kanye] And they've even gone
and specifically hired people from my team

to make fake versions.

Yeezy's made a different type of shoe
without his permission.

Just, like, completely, like,
just took his model

and just did their own colourway.
That's horrible.

They're trying to replicate all his style
and stuff like that.

Disrespecting, man. Give him his due.

Like, I feel like it's fine for him
to challenge that status quo

and be like,
"I'm not gonna stand for this anymore."

Especially, I feel like Adidas
has been doing it for so long.

Kanye has moved so much product
for Adidas. He's helped--

Bigger than anybody thought
it could've been.

Kanye's Kanye. He's going to leave them,
do something else.

People are still going to follow him,
you know?

It's… it's him, really, not the brand.

[Brendan] He made a fake newspaper article
about Kasper Rorsted.

"Adidas CEO Kasper Rorsted dying",
you know? Like, things like that where…

-Exactly.
-[Brendan] I don't know if that's the way

-to get a sneaker brand to trust you.
-[sighs]

So, it sounds like you… you're trying
to break up with Adidas, too.

-Is that the plan?
-Absolutely.

I think it's fair to say that Ye
is a difficult person…

-Of course.
-…and has gigantic aspirations.

And you have to be really,
really good at your job

in order to manage those things
and make them fit in a structured,

rigid, old-school
German sneaker company like Adidas.

[reporter] We've got some interesting news
out of Germany this morning.

Adidas CEO Kasper Rorsted
is stepping down from his position.

The company have yet to name a successor.

[Jan] So, that's the reason
why Kaspar is not,

er, talking to any media, really.

Er, I think it's, er, it's understandable
that there was a lot of pressure,

a lot of work. And… and…
and it always starts with the CEO.

Obviously, nobody likes to be
in a situation

where there's a lot of criticism.

[Harm] I can feel for him, quite honestly,
er, managing the crisis

for two and a half years, pandemic,
all the other things.

When there's a crisis
and the product isn't probably as…

as good or the brand isn't as healthy
as it used to be, was he the right CEO?

You know,
probably not at the end of the day.

[Erika] I think Kasper was very pragmatic.

But I think what this brand now needs
is a huge injection of the heart.

[♪ theme music playing]

[Beckham] Shoe culture is bigger now
than it's probably ever been.

[Ulrich] Puma and Adidas,
they started this

and millions and millions and millions
of dollars are going around.

[Severn] The floodgates opened up.

-[man 1] Stripes.
-[man 2] Stripes.

-[woman] Three stripes. [laughs]
-[Severn] There were three-stripe shoes

-all over the place.
-I wanted to be part of that.

[June] Streetwear has become fashion.

[man 3] Puma was late to the dance.
Adidas was way ahead.

[Neymar Jr.] Puma had to step up.

Very dubious business they are doing
over there.

-Big suitcases with money. No contracts.
-[tires screeching]

I think anybody in my shoes
would have done the same.

[Erin] We want to beat them.
There's no question about it.

I heard something happened, like,
with Yeezys and Kanye West.

[man 4] Financially a disaster.

"I thought my job was to run."
No, your job is to sell shoes.

[Horst] They have created the world
that we know today as the world of sports.

[journalist] More than a match
of the world's greatest athletes,

it is also the battleground
for the great sneaker war.

[Horst] If it wouldn't have happened,
somebody would have come up

and written a story about it.
It's so unique.

[♪ theme music concludes]

[♪ upbeat instrumental music playing]

[paparazzi 1] Left.
To the left, to the left.

[paparazzi 2] To your right,
to your right, to your right.

[crowd cheering]

New York Fashion Week is chaotic.

[crowd cheering]

There are four fashion weeks
a year,

four different locations
around the world.

New York Fashion Week, you gotta bring it.

[crowd cheering]

I'm a rock and roller.
It's not on my radar at all.

It's like no other.

[spectator] You never know
when you might get swarmed by cameras.

-It's definitely the place to be.
-This is where the fashion is.

[Maeve] It's where all the big designers
get together

and show off their new lines
and what's, like, new and it.

[crowd cheering]

Thank you, man. Oh, Disney Channel.

Hi, welcome to the Disney Channel.

[Colm] KidSuper's a clothing brand
that I started when I was quite young.

Obviously, now, I'm a Puma boy,
but they're doing a Puma fashion show.

-[♪ upbeat electronic music playing]
-I don't know much about it.

They've been quite secretive.

They've always been a little bit
of rule breakers.

They're putting their money
where their mouth is.

It's definitely not that easy.

The stakes are high. This is Puma's,
kind of, like first fashion show in years,

and they've got a lot riding on it.

You have to diversify what you're doing
and your offering,

and you have to reach a new audience
because ultimately you become stagnant

if you don't.

[Adam] It's really a return.

For Puma, we have been very focused
on bolstering our sports bona fides

over the last few years.

Now is the… is the right moment for us
to… to try and re-establish ourselves

in the world of fashion.

It's a good time for us,
er, maybe a surprising time

for us to come back
and do a big show like this.

[♪ music concludes]

-[June] Could be violent.
-Right.

But the music also at this part
in the show, it gets, if you remember…

-Right.
-…it gets very violent. It gets…

I had a deep relationship

-with Puma for many years.
-[♪ dramatic instrumental music playing]

[June] I think about how rooted
in sports they are.

Knowing that they dabbled in fashion,

when I look through the archives
and I'm looking at McQueen pieces,

I'm looking at Fenty pieces,
I'm looking at Jil Sander pieces,

you know, made me want even more
to kind of ignite that conversation again.

We are six days to show day.
I know everyone's being very calm.

-[chuckles]
-[June] But I have a major stomach ache.

-[colleague] Yeah.
-I'm, like, nauseous.

We're just seeing another person. Roll it.

-[grunts]
-Starting to roll.

Okay, we see her and then we go up.
We go up with him.

-We should have him walk with them first.
-Let me let him know.

[Heiko] New York Fashion Week itself,
it's a little more welcoming

for newness which don't really play
the classic drama of fashion.

Last time it was 2014 with Rihanna.
So, it's putting us back on the map.

This is the outlook for Puma
for the future.

[indistinct chatter]

-If we can make this…
-Erm, but that actually is quite…

-It's okay, right? Much better.
-[Winnie] Yeah. Hmm.

[indistinct chatter]

-Love it. You look great.
-You're next?

Yeah, I'm next. [chuckles]

[all cheering, applauding]

[June] So, can I get some pins?

When they first told me
the brand ambassadors

were gonna participate in the show,

my job was to make sure
that they didn't look like ambassadors.

[indistinct chatter]

Oh, the preparations are hectic

because we're… we're putting on
the biggest show in New York City.

And as a sportswear company like Puma…
[blows raspberry]

…big show like this,

creative director like June Ambrose,
all eyes are on us.

Okay, model coming through.
Model coming through. Yep.

Nice. Breathe. Nice.

[all cheering, applauding]

[June] I think it's important
that we align ourselves with ambassadors

that have shared values.

If you give me a red,
you gotta change my shoes.

-You have red suede in there?
-You got a red suede in there?

-[Bjørn] I need shoes like that. [laughs]
-[Usain laughing]

-Yeah, Ricky-- Help Ricky more.
-You can't even walk in those. [laughs]

[Bjørn] If you want
to be globally successful,

you need to have success in the US.

And that's more difficult
for a global brand

out of Germany than it is
for an American market.

The culture in America
is very different than it is in Germany.

[Usain] It looks good, man.
You know what I mean?

-Show off my swag. [chuckles]
-[stylist] Yes.

First time for everything, right?
[chuckles]

[stylist] Yeah. Just because
we already know what the pant is like.

[Bjørn] Can he eat tonight
or should he not?

[all laugh]

He should have been on a liquid diet,
actually, for the last week.

No, you had yam and cassava
and provisions.

-Yeah. I… I had some yams, for sure.
-[laughs]

-[Usain chuckling]
-[stylist] Yes. This next one is…

[Usain] I think the fashion
in sports has changed a lot now.

One time, it was just plain T-shirts.
[chuckles] You know what I mean?

Puma stuck across the front.

[June] Stop, frame it, yes.

[Usain] Over the years of Puma
becoming what they are now,

as in high-level fashion.

-[indistinct chatter]
-[all cheering, applauding]

I see Puma's future being-- It's bright.

You know, street culture is driving a lot
of the conversation now.

And I see us really tapping in and leaning
into that in a very authentic way.

What's retro is relevant.

You know,
everything that we're doing today

is because of what has happened already.

[interviewer] Sound speed.
Chris, take one. Mark.

-[♪ whimsical instrumental music playing]
-We're having a fireside chat, are we?

[interviewer laughing]

[Severn] Horst Dassler, the son
of Adi Dassler, he's the oldest child.

Horst and I, by the way,
are about the same age.

We're six months apart. I was 21,
he was 20, and we kind of hit it off.

Horst was looking
to find a foothold in the USA.

As time went by, I questioned him,

"Would we, at some point,
start making basketball shoes?"

But he showed
really no interest whatsoever.

But that changed.
He watched a basketball game.

He literally fell in love with the game.

He told me, "I'm gonna talk to my parents

"and see if we can start
making basketball shoes."

And they told him, "No, we are not going
to make basketball shoes."

I said, "So, what are we going to do?"

He stopped, he looked directly
into my eyes and said,

"We are going to make basketball shoes.

"But there is one condition.
My parents must not find out about it."

This is the very first…

prototype of a basketball shoe
made by Adidas.

It's in leather instead of canvas.

The sole is a herringbone pattern.

And this now is all dried out.
But in its younger days,

it was very soft and very grippy.

-[♪ music concludes]
-[interviewer] So…

do you know who Chris Severn is?

Yes. Chris Severn? Absolutely. Yes, I do.
He's the creator of the Superstar. Yep.

[♪ upbeat instrumental music playing]

[laughs] Doesn't look
a whole lot like this, does it? [chuckles]

In Horst's mind, we had to come up
with a way of making basketball shoes

that was different. Converse dominated.

Converse has an All-Star.
We want to be one better.

We'll be the Superstar.

Because I believed
the shoes were so much better

than Converse All-Stars,
I got the Celtics to wear the shoes.

They were wearing dark
forest green Superstars,

and they won the world championship.

-[crowd cheering]
-The floodgates opened up.

There were three-stripe shoes
all over the place in the NBA.

That turned out to be a good decision.

Puma decided, "There's no way
we can compete.

"All these players are wearing Superstars.
What are we going to do?"

They paid one guy
and advertised the heck out of him,

so it looks like Puma is everywhere.

[reporter] The Knicks' Walt Frazier
with the quickest hands in the East.

[Dapper] We saw him at all the parties.
He was fly as hell.

He got the name Clyde
from the movie Bonnie and Clyde,

so he had that crook element.

[Walt] Ah, you know, I'm renowned
for my sartorial splendour.

I was always creative in my style
and what I was wearing,

and what I was doing on
and off the court.

[Max] BU started pioneering this idea of,
"Let's get fashionable when I walk

"into the arena."
He's the guy that started that.

[reporter] Stunning coat you got there.
Tell me about it.

Front and double-breasted coat
with the wide collar,

which is how I got my name,
claim to fame, from Dan, "Clyde."

Basketball for Puma really started
in 1973 with our guy, Clyde.

I helped design the shoe,
so I made it lighter, more flexible.

My first contract was 5,000
and all the shoes I wanted.

My teammates made fun of me, you know,
they're like, "Oh, he think he's cool.

"He's got his own shoe."
It was a perfect storm.

Here I am, Clyde, an all-star,
world champion,

and now coming out
with my own shoe with Puma.

And I think people don't realise the…
the impact that he had

because he was the first guy
who really said,

"I can wear the shoe on court,

"but I can also style it
from an off-court perspective."

Clyde was fly.

When Puma put that Clyde name on
and you had to have him,

because you realise,
"I could be cool and fashionable

"but I ain't gotta be a pimp."

So, Clyde was like a representation
of that style.

He showed people what the future
of the modern athlete was gonna look like.

As sportswear has evolved
and as sportswear has become,

you know, more important to the world, er,
of the fashion brands,

er, you know, Puma has been there
to kind of push that… that forward.

[♪ music concludes]

[employee 1] That's one, two, three,
four, five, six, each side.

-[employee 2] Mm-hmm. Okay.
-[employee 1] Good season.

We have amazing press from,
like, all the top editor-in-chiefs,

and fashion directors
from all the major magazines,

-LA Times, Grazia, Vogue, Esquire.
-[♪ whimsical instrumental music playing]

The business of hype, like, that's, like,
a huge thing,

because if you haven't got
the right person on your front row,

then what's the point
of even doing the show?

Erm, so we could add more press here
that has requested to come,

and then this could be additional VIPs.
Yeah.

I think the goal of this for us is to ask
and answer any questions

for the night of the show
so we have as few questions

on the night of the show as possible.

Of course, the thought's like,
"Is nobody gonna show up?

"Is, like, all the buyers gonna just,
like, be bored about what we show?"

Or, "Are the reviews really bad
or something?"

This all can happen, but,
erm, I am very confident.

It's also super exciting to have
Holly Blakey on board for choreography.

Guys, erm, can you just ensure
that when you're at your number twos here,

the formation is really crisp and clear?

Are you turning around for a reason?

Even if it's just like,
if you would just push me this way,

like here, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.

Coming from the floor or something,
just a little bit cleaner and more simple.

It's too long,
so we're going to run into the model.

[Holly] So? Don't forget,
no one's ever seen it before,

and it's only 45 seconds long.

We've been watching it
over and over again.

-[David] Do you love it?
-[Holly] Love it.

-You love the other one better, though.
-[Holly] No, I don't.

I just-- I'm feeling unsure
about that moment before start.

Seven, eight. [vocalises]

One, two, three, four, five, six,
and seven, and eight.

And one, and two,
and boom, boom, bah. Yeah.

-[David] That looks really good.
-[indistinct chatter]

[Kyle] Right now,
we're heading to the Puma show.

I was definitely nervous,
because it's different.

You know, it's like playing
in front of 20,000 people

does not compare to this teeny walkway.
But I'll be good, ready to go.

[♪ dramatic instrumental music playing]

Ooh! Oh, man. Look, she got us in trouble.

Where are we going? Are we upstairs?
Which way? Is it this way?

-[crew member] This way.
-They gotta shoot y'all right now.

[staff 1 over radio] Okay. Heads up,
people, June has arrived.

[staff 2 over radio] All ambassadors
in place, and run it from the top.

[indistinct chatter]

Honestly, to jam 75 looks
into a small space like this

is the biggest obstacle. [chuckles]

It's the anxiety of everything
that's moving parts, so many moving parts.

William, Bolt, I'm waiting for them here.

[indistinct chatter]

Let's try again. We can try again.

[June] I played with the size
and scale in this, er, show,

and with the set design, you know,
some things may become obstacles.

Stop, and then you're gonna turn,
and then you're gonna walk off.

Yes.

I need to get her into makeup in here.
Walk with her. Walk with her. This way.

Now, I think, you know, we have
the opportunity to kind of show the world

what we can do again.

-[paparazzi] This way, this way!
-Knots in your stomach, fear, nervousness.

Just saying to myself, "Don't trip,
don't trip, don't trip."

I think it's a bold one.
Bigger than what they've done so far.

I think we haven't been here,
I think, since 2017 with Rihanna.

This is an event.
We should definitely be here.

The time is now to have some courage.

Excuse me, Mr Bolt,
they're expecting you in this group.

But on the other side of the building.

Somebody gave me the 411.
I was on the other side.

I'm not cut out for this.

You're like,
"Oh, my God, I just want to go home."

-Oh, my God, what time is it? It's 9:45?
-Yes.

[June] Bjørn wants to start right now.

[Bjørn] Out now. We are starting the show.

[June] We need everyone
to leave. Everyone, right now, guys.

[colleague] All right, get your dress.
You can come this way.

[June] Showtime.
Everybody out of dressing.

We gotta start the show.
Nope, nope, nope. We gotta start the show.

[♪ music concludes]

-[♪ upbeat instrumental music playing]
-[indistinct chatter]

[Winnie] Puma is such a household name,
but isn't always seen

in that high fashion light.

And I think this is, like,
a really amazing step.

[Kyle] I mean, if you think
about what Puma is and what it stands for,

it's a lifestyle brand,
and it's all about culture.

[crowd cheering]

Spin, spin, spin, spin.

[all cheer, applaud]

[cheering, applauding]

[guest 1] It was amazing.
It was incredible.

-[guest 2] Beautiful show.
-Just classic core, swag, sleek.

Incredible. I mean, June, er,
she was the, er,

you know, the battery pack
for the whole show.

-But June Ambrose is a genius.
-I just thought June did a fantastic job.

'Cause you know I'm exhausted. [laughs]

It was a grand, grand return.

If we continue to be authentic,
not just for sport, but for style,

I think we'll be okay.

I mean, I'm happy. Erm,
it looks like people are happy.

So, that's the success.

To be honest with you, I haven't planned
that far in the future.

So, what should I say? It's not the job.
It's like a life, right?

So, where… wherever I am,
er, it's for Puma.

[Adam] I think that our job is to try
and push our other competitors

to do something cool and if they're,
you know, looking at what we're doing and…

and saying, "Hey, you know, okay,
let's giddy up." Then that's good.

[♪ funky electronic music playing]

[Kish Kash] In the streets of New York
in the 1970s,

you had b-boy crews battling each other,
rapping, graffiti, beatboxing.

These were all elements
of what became hip-hop culture.

Style is nothing without the moves,
and moves is nothing without the style.

So, everyone who was b-boying
and everyone who was graphing

were gonna be wearing Puma or Adidas.

Growing up, it was Pumas, it was Adidas.
Now, Pumas was cool,

but Pumas had a problem,
especially the suede ones.

If somebody stepped
on your Puma with mud,

grease, or oil, you ruined.

The Adidas, the Superstar was perfect
for us because it was durable.

That was synonymous with what was going on
in the streets of New York City.

It was hell. You know what I'm saying?
You had to be a survivor.

So, these Superstar sneakers represented
the durability against all the adversity

and oppression and aggression
that really existed in your everyday life.

Those sneakers also represented
what was in your heart, mind, body,

and soul. You gotta be… gotta be strong
out here in these streets,

but you can look good while doing it.

[interviewer] Tell me
about not wearing laces in your shoes.

There's a term we use called fresh.
You like to have your fresh sneakers on.

See, we just leave our old ones
in the store.

[Joseph] Fresh out the box.

Put our new ones on
and walk right out the store.

-We're Run, DMC, and Jam Master Jay.
-We're Run, DMC, and Jam Master Jay.

Put rap music on the map.
Put your hands together for Run-D.M.C.

-[presenter 1] Run-D.M.C.
-[presenter 2] Run-D.M.C.

The undisputed kings of rap music.

[presenter 3] Run-D.M.C.'s string of gold
and platinum records has made it

the most successful rap group of all.

And these guys are the reason
why rap has become as popular

with White audiences
as well as Black ones.

When you're walking
around Europe, do you dress this way?

-No, We wear--
-Nah, we wear Adidas. Adidas shoes.

I think Run-D.M.C. made us understand

that we had a place in the world
that we thought we didn't have a place in.

I've been wearing these sneakers
since I was 15.

Not these, I have a different pair,
but this type of sneaker here.

It was so new, so fresh, and the way,
again, it just gave us as kids,

this new platform to kind of look at,
you know, again, dressing and styling,

and it's something that felt
really authentic to us and who we are.

[Beckham] You know, when you see people
like Run-D.M.C. wearing the brand,

that's what made it cool.
And I wanted to be part of that.

Run-D.M.C. changed the whole way you think
about sportswear and fashion.

[crowd cheering]

♪ My Adidas walk through concert doors
and roam all over… ♪

Wasn't looking for a deal.
Just wanted to make a dope record

about the sneakers that we love,
you know what I'm saying? So, we did that.

♪ My Adidas ♪

[♪ song concludes]

♪ My Adidas standin' on two fifth
My Adidas! ♪

[Joseph] You know what a bullet means?
That it's going to the top.

Adidas could never even buy
this much promotion we give 'em.

At the time, Adidas wasn't doing so well.
You know, they're just tryna figure out,

just how do we transition
into the next phase of this company here?

All of a sudden, they start hearing
about this thing called hip-hop.

"What is that?"
About this group called Run-D.M.C.

And they made a record
about their sneakers. What? What the hell?

So, they sent a young man
named Angelo Anastasio to investigate.

I always made my job while working
for Adidas to see what's next.

What's the next hot thing
that we can promote the brand?

So, I flew to New York.
I went to the concert.

[crowd cheering]

[DMC] Sold out Madison Square Garden,
40,000 people, we running through our set,

we get to song number seven,
Run says, "D, take it off."

I hold up my sneakers.
I was like a superhero.

I was like the mighty Thor
holding my hammer up

-and lightning striking it.
-[lightning crackling]

And then, he asked me, "What is that?"
And I go, "My--"

♪ My Adidas walk through concert doors
And roam all over coliseum floors ♪

♪ I stepped on stage, at Live Aid ♪

♪ All the people gave
and the poor got paid… ♪

Not one kid did not take his shoe off
and wave 'em in the air.

It was something so organic
that never in my wildest dream,

and I got very emotional about it
because I feel like crying, you know?

Never in my wildest dream, I thought
that three guys could sing about one shoe.

White, black, stripes, Adidas Superstars.
And that would happen.

The very next day, I got on a plane
and I went to Germany.

Horst Dassler was in charge
of the company.

He set up a meeting
with his top marketing people, PR people.

Horst also believed for him
to make it globally,

-he had to be successful in America.
-[crowd cheering]

[Angelo] If a trend starts in America,
it will start worldwide.

And Horst was determined to do it.

[DMC] So, a couple of weeks later,
they gave us a million dollars

and unlimited tour support.

That's very rock and roll.

-[♪ upbeat instrumental playing]
-[crowd cheering]

We was the first non-athletic entity
to receive a major apparel endorsement

from a sports apparel company.

We got the suits. We got the hats.
As a matter of fact,

we even got the socks.
You know what I'm saying?

[Emory] Run-D.M.C. showed us
how to really be partners,

you know, with a brand in that moment.

That killed it.
That was the signal for the future.

That was the big marketing road
that led to where we are today.

Run-D.M.C., that collaboration
is really what set Adidas apart.

You think about the first non-athlete
that was ever signed to a brand like this,

and it was Adidas.
Adidas was the first one that did it.

And that opened up the floodgates
for everyone from Kanye West to Bad Bunny.

[♪ music concludes]

[George] It's crazy to think
that at one point in history,

there was only Adidas and Puma
who had to worry about each other.

They were the only competing rivals.

Rivalry, having a competitive attitude,
instinct, just leads to innovation.

It's a competitive business.
I'm grateful for the challenge

when a competitor
brings out something highly innovative,

because it drives that competitive spirit
within the company

to strike back and build something better.

-My favourite sportswear brand?
-Top sports brand?

Mm…

-Er…
-Is it possible to like both?

Do you want me to pick one or the other?
Is that really what you want me to do?

[speaking Japanese]

Mm. Nike.

-[chuckles]
-Nike.

-[laughs] Oh, I see what this is about.
-[laughs]

I do like Nike a lot.

-My favourite shoes are Nike.
-Nike?

-Yeah, Nike.
-Yeah. Nike.

You just gotta do it. That's it.

[♪ dramatic instrumental music playing]

[George] Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman
noticed a growing interest in road running

and approached Adi Dassler with an idea.

So, they wanted to make
some running shoes for the masses,

as running was becoming so popular.

[in German] Phil Knight asked Adi Dassler

to produce 300,00 pairs
of white shoes for him.

"No, I cannot do that."

[in English] The Germans, "No, no, no."

You run on the grass,
you run on the forest,

not on the road. No, no, too dangerous.

[Helmut in German] "Why do you need
so many white shoes?"

"I need them for the street."

So, Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman decided

to do it themselves and started up
a company called Blue Ribbon Sports,

which later became Nike.

[♪ music concludes]

Nike were the disruptor in the '70s, '80s,

and they really did well
off the jogging boom,

off the sort of physical fitness,
exercise boom in the States.

[♪ upbeat instrumental music playing]

[indistinct chatter]

When Nike burst on the scene,
they were the disruptor brand.

They were the ones
who were doing things differently.

[announcer]
What fiend would steal Air Jordans?

Their approach actually was in that space
of being rebellious.

It's gotta be the shoes. The shoes. Shoes.
The shoes.

Throughout their history,
Nike told stories

better than any other brand in sport.

-I am not a role model.
-[indistinct chatter]

I think what Nike also did really well
was, like, capture the American spirit.

Which is this, like, anything is possible,
we can do anything, we're American.

-Just do it.
-Just do it.

[♪ music concludes]

The rise of Nike was also due to the fact
that Puma and Adidas,

you know, were so focused on each other.

-[♪ soft instrumental music playing]
-On the one hand, this genius

in making great sports products.

On the other hand, we were,
to a certain extent,

ignorant to what's coming out,
especially from America at that time.

Adidas and Puma pretty much had
the marketplace on lockdown.

They got too comfortable in their success.

[Armin in German]
But a trend has emerged that,

to put it succinctly,
says beauty before quality,

and we were not prepared for that.

We just weren't competitive
in the first place,

against the newcomers in the US market.

And we'll have to adapt.

[Grancio] You know,
I think Adidas believed they had

such dominant market share
that would continue on forever.

And as Nike came in with Michael Jordan
and changed sort of the approach

to building product and the approach
to marketing and storytelling,

set them on a 40-year path
that they're still riding the wave of.

In 2013, Adidas held only 8%
in the sports shoe market in the US

and Nike dominated with 50% at the time.

They're searching for ways to re-enter

what is the big sports
marketing conversation in the world.

[indistinct clamour]

Kanye West frankly shocked the world
by announcing his departure from Nike

to partner with Adidas.

[Kanye] I left Nike because Nike wouldn't
give me a percentage for my shoes.

Is the hope
that there's some sort of halo effect,

that other Adidas shoes become cool
because of these Kanye shoes?

That's exactly it. It's marketing.

[Franklin] Kanye West is one
of the most popular musicians of all time.

He is a phenom. He's got the Midas touch.

-[crowd cheering]
-[shutter clicking]

[indistinct chatter]

Kanye's a controversial figure,
but Adidas knew that when they signed him.

It may have been
part of the reason why they signed him.

If someone's gonna go out
and do these viral moments

that people are gonna be talking about
in the millions,

erm, they're obviously gonna do something
in terms of bringing eyes to your brand.

[George] The Yeezy Boost 350,
which was one of the first to release,

was something that appealed
to everyone commercially.

This is when Yeezy mania started.
Like, everyone wanted a pair of these.

[worker] Hey, you guys! Move back some.
Just a little bit.

[ProZECH] People lining up,
camping out for the shoes.

I've been here for two weeks.

-[indistinct chatter]
-We had tents.

Just turned into pandemonium.

We were getting robbed
for kicks and stuff.

Like, people were waiting outside shops,
like, trying to rob people.

[indistinct clamour]

Every release was completely sold out.

[indistinct clamour]

Not only did they sell out
the first round,

they sold out the second round,
the third round.

The shoe was selling out
for three years straight.

At the time, it felt more valuable
than a Rolex or something.

[Emory] You know, you agree with them,
disagree with them,

or whatever the case may be,
but when you talk about sneaker culture…

That's the hype Kanye really did create
and bring to Adidas.

-Yes, Yeezys. Yeezys, my God.
-I'm a big fan of Kanye.

And everyone knows that, you know, I'm…
I'm the leader. I'm the king, right?

So, a king can't live
in someone else's castle.

A king has to make his own castle.

[phone chiming]

-[keypad clacking]
-[♪ pensive instrumental music playing]

Breaking news
over Kanye West's repeated anti-Semitism.

[phone chiming]

[reporter 1] West tweeted he would go
"Death con three on Jewish people."

[reporter 2] Tonight, a growing number
of companies are cutting ties

with Kanye West.

[reporter 3] Fashion house Balenciaga,
Vogue, The Gap have parted ways.

[reporter 4] Adidas has been under fire
for its association with West.

[reporter 5] We have dropped
Adidas athletes for using steroids

and being difficult to work with,

but we're unwilling
to denounce hate speech?

[reporter 6] Tonight,
there's a harsh new spotlight on brands

and the real cost of staying silent.

[Matthew] Anti-Semitic comments
are not cool, like, any… anywhere,

but especially Adidas
being a German company.

-With ties to…
-[Matthew] Yes, I mean, the--

…the Nazi party, historically.
You know, way, way, way in the past.

Who was the Nazi?
I-- Do you know? Were they both Nazis?

[in German] It was like this.
One must…

always look at the circumstances
of the time. When was that?

That was all between the wars.

Everyone was trying to stay alive.

[Michael Dassler in English] Yes, they had
to be members of the Nazi party.

Well, "had to be."

[O'Connell] Rudi, he got conscripted.

At the age of over 40.
Had to join the war.

He wasn't really fighting.
He was too old for that.

As far as I know, he was in a customs unit
in somewhere in Poland.

[O'Connell]
Adi started working as a radio operator.

But they needed him
because of his technical ability.

So, they brought him back to the factory.
They produced shoes for the soldiers.

But then they were just told "shut down"
and converted into an arms factory.

Rudi turned on his brother and he said,
"Look, you have the influence.

"Get me out of the war.
Get me to join you." But he couldn't.

[Sigi] He felt disadvantaged
and constantly assumed

that Adi was behind it, being drafted.

[in German] Supposedly to get him
kicked out or taken off the field.

[in English] So, hmm. [chuckles]
Some not-so-nice business

going on here.

[Kelvyn] This is, like,
a really ugly moment in their history.

You know, with Kanye's comments,
this is just being brought back

into the spotlight in a way
that none of them want

to be associated with.

[Matthew] Just optically,
for a German company…

-[Brendan] Yeah.
-…to, like, try and brush off

-anti-Semitism just looks so insane.
-[Brendan] Yeah.

So, anytime there's a brand crisis,
my team is engaged.

We're always watching
the consumer response and sentiment.

We think about our values
and our strategies

and what it is we want to achieve,
and we march towards that.

I won't speak
to the Kanye situation specifically.

-[Brendan] Adidas should dump Kanye West…
-[Matthew] Yes.

…because this stuff he's saying is foul,
unacceptable, anti-Semitic.

With anybody else,
Adidas would have rushed to drop them.

But because Kanye West's business
is so significant for them,

that's why they're not just being like,
"Okay, this is over."

[Jan] As Adidas, we have clear values.

We can't allow any of our partners
to make anti-Semitic

or hate comments.

This clearly crossed the line.

[reporter] Sportswear giant Adidas
announced this morning

it is terminating its partnership
with Ye immediately.

In a press release,
the company said, quote,

"Adidas does not tolerate anti-Semitism…"

[Jan] We will have the New York Times,
we will have the Wall Street Journal,

Reuters, right? I mean--

Also, they are a little bit,
er, the usual suspects.

I'm pretty clear on China.
I'm pretty clear on Russia,

what they can say and will say.
I think the key topic is really easy. Erm…

Employees are generally interested in how,
erm, are we proceeding,

erm, what's gonna happen.

Some comments were it took us too long
to make the decision

but at least the decision is made
and the decision is, like,

super clear, right?

It sounds easy for people
that do not run a business.

It was easy probably for some other brands

because they didn't run
a business with it.

So internally,
there are some complexities, right?

A lot of employees, a lot of suppliers.

It's not just that
a couple of board members

decide everything on such a business.

-[indistinct chatter]
-[Harm] Okay. Good.

It's the right decision, no question.
But we've got to do it diligently.

[reporter 1] Yeezy brand once brought
Adidas nearly two billion dollars

in annual sales.

Critics say Adidas was putting profit
ahead of ethics.

Amid tumbling stocks,
the German sneaker giant

severed ties with the artist.

[Kasper] Yes, there were some claims
about toxic work environment

in the past, even before this Yeezy stuff.

[reporter 2] Kaspar Rorsted leaves
at a cost of 60 million euros to Adidas.

The question is,
who will be his successor?

[Jan] I mean, I can't really say…
say more than… than we put

into the press release, right?

As the CEO transition
there will be speculation

who could be a possible successor.

You don't expect me really
to speculate on names,

but I mean, you will also understand,
as a company, we will announce when…

when the announcement is due, right?

[♪ pensive instrumental music playing]

[reporter 1] Breaking news coming out
of Germany this morning.

[reporter 2] A remarkable transfer
is causing uproar

in the sports apparel industry.

[reporter 3] Yes,
Adidas has announced a new CEO,

and it is a very surprising choice.

[reporter 4] Almost a year already,
they were looking for a new CEO.

[reporter 5] With Wall Street signalling
the need for a turnaround.

[reporter 6] In the past,
there were a few things

not going that well. Kanye,
the stock prices,

and now something needed to change.

[reporter 7]
Adidas have announced a new CEO.

-[reporter 8] The Puma CEO, Bjørn Gulden.
-[reporter 9] Bjørn Gulden.

-[reporter 10] Bjørn Gulden.
-[reporter 11] Bjørn Gulden.

-[reporter 12] Bjørn Gulden.
-[reporter 13] Bjørn Gulden.

[reporter 15]
Bjørn Gulden is moving to Adidas.

Smart.

A great business strategy
is if you ever see someone coming up

on your tail, you don't want that person
to keep racing next to you.

You want to bring them onto your team.

[reporter 1] Given the two companies'
historic rivalry,

it is a very notable move indeed.

[reporter 2] I think they're going
to be devastated at Puma today.

[Kerstin] It's a surprise. I mean,
I didn't expect that either.

Erm, and, erm, obviously I knew
that there was a vacancy.

And I absolutely had
not made that connection.

Erm, so I had not expected him
to… to move across the road. [chuckles]

[Helmut in German] And it came
as a shock to me, of course.

[chuckles] He didn't tell me.
He just wrote to me, "Sorry, Helmut."

He wrote two things to me.
Two words, "Sorry, Helmut."

Two words.

[♪ music concludes]

[♪ theme music playing]

[♪ theme music concludes]