A strong retail identity for adidas by Stella McCartney

adidas by Stella McCartney Strong Women

To inspire customers with its bold celebration of strong women, we delivered a comprehensive retail strategy, guidelines, and toolkit for global store launch

Strategy & Design

StudioXAG

Campaign Imagery

adidas x Stella McCartney
adidas Stella McCartney Strong Women Brand Retail Guidelines - StudioXAG
Campaign imagery courtesy of adidas by Stella McCartney

Challenge

The adidas by Stella McCartney team came to us to create a set of global retail guidelines for their 2024 campaign, defining a concept that could evolve and adapt between each collection, from spring through to winter.

The campaign works across three unique product drops, embedding a core creative idea whilst swapping and changing out elements to keep things new and exciting. In this way, we set the stores up for a more sustainable approach to multi-season drops.

Key retail objectives were to:

  • Attract a new, younger, Gen Z audience
  • Create demand and, ultimately, sales for the brand by creating modular tools that can live throughout the season
  • Deliver a premium and elevated aesthetic to all touchpoints
adidas Stella McCartney Strong Women Brand Retail Guidelines - StudioXAG

Insight

Gen Z is aesthetics and values-led. They are looking to consume the next shiny new thing, but at the same time, 67% prefer brands that appeal to their social conscience, so achieving that balance is vital to attracting this sought-after generation of shoppers.

This campaign is rooted in the theme of authentic female strength and challenges beauty norms – something Gen Z can relate to – and with three unique updates across the season, our approach satisfies this generation’s desire for newness, too.

How do we translate this ethos to an evolving retail space?

Solution

To guide the adidas by Stella McCartney team in rolling out their campaign, we designed a modular kit embodying feminine strength as the narrative thread connecting the three product drops.

We created a scene that conveys the balance between mental and physical strength, drawing inspiration from music, art, design, and sustainability in the process. We incorporated natural and raw materials with a neutral, clean finish and experimental contrast, minimising waste and unnecessary production costs.

Results

“We were incredibly impressed with StudioXAG’s work on our SS24 and FW24 aSMC campaigns. Their creative strategy perfectly captured our brand essence. The team demonstrated a keen understanding of our vision and was able to translate it into visually stunning campaigns.

What truly set them apart was their ability to adapt quickly. They handled last-minute changes with efficiency and professionalism, ensuring that our campaigns always remained on track. We were consistently delighted with their work and look forward to future collaborations.”

– Andreia Silva – Retail and Digital Manager, adidas by Stella McCartney