Adidas pours on the feminine charms

NATIONAL: Ever-evolving sportswear brand Adidas is set to unveil its newest weapon in its fight to dominate the competitive womenswear category.
Less than two years after undertaking a global restructure, the activewear giant has announced plans to launch a new line aimed at celebrating what it means to be a female who enjoys sport.
Set for an instore debut of March 01, the new collection will operate under a horizontal concept offering apparel, footwear and accessories across running, gym, yoga and tennis.
The move coincides with chamption swimmer Jodie Henry's appointment as the face of their women's active brand.
Adidas women's marketing manager Kirsten Thompson said the new range, dubbed Adilibria, would help the brand to build a bigger gap from traditional competitors Nike, Puma and Bella Bustiere.
"[The range] offers high-quality sports performance products that underline the fusion of functionality and style. We have maintained ultimate functionality via integration of performance technologies but taken the fashion elements one step further.
"The unexpected silhouettes are supremely flattering to the female form, the colours striking yet feminine and we have paid meticulous attention to every last detail from badging to draw cords."
Manufactured in Asia, Thompson said Adidas had a distinctive image of who the line was targeted at, with the ultimate aim to challenge women's perception of sport as an obligation.
In its most basic form, the line was aimed at modern socially-active, sport-involved women aged between 20 and 35, she said.
"[Our target consumer] strongly demands performance but not at the expense of style. Always in the know about what's current and always in possession of the latest gadgets and technology, modern style-influenced design is what catches her eye."
Marketed under the brand's "impossible is nothing" tagline, the new line is constructed from a polyester and elastene blend using advanced technologies - such as ClimaLite, ClimaCool and Formotion - which were designed to grab water molecules and move them away from the wearer's skin, Thompson said.
Available in sizes eight to 16, the colour palette is dominated by different hues of pink and distinctive shades of green/blue with price points ranging from $50 to $130.
The new range - with the exception of the tennis line - will be stocked exclusively at Rebel Sport and Adidas' own retail stores.