Latest news with #SoWin
Fashion Value Chain
4 days ago
- Business
- Fashion Value Chain
The Swoosh in the Saree: How Nike's Women's Push Resonates in India
By Shweta Sheth – Post Graduate Academic Scholar. Department of Fashion Management Studies, National Institute of Fashion Technology, Ministry of Textiles Govt of India, Daman campus Nike, the global titan of sportswear, has always been synonymous with athletic prowess and a relentless pursuit of greatness. From Michael Jordan's gravity-defying dunks to Serena Williams's dominant serves, the 'Just Do It' ethos has inspired millions worldwide. But as the brand steps into a new era, marked by a revamped leadership team under brand president Amy Montagne and the powerful face of A'ja Wilson, its commitment to women is taking center stage. In India, a nation where sports are increasingly embraced by women, this evolution is particularly significant, promising to redraw the lines of athletic aspiration. India, with its vibrant cultural tapestry and a burgeoning young population, presents a unique landscape for a brand like Nike. For years, cricket has reigned supreme, often overshadowing other sports and limiting visibility for female athletes. However, a silent revolution has been brewing. From the boxing ring with Mary Kom to the badminton court with PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal, Indian women are making their mark on the global sporting arena, inspiring a generation to embrace physical activity. Nike's journey in India hasn't been without its hurdles. Early on, the brand faced challenges in connecting with the price-sensitive Indian consumer and adapting its global strategies to local nuances. While they made significant investments in cricket sponsorships, the broader appeal often remained elusive. Yet, in recent years, a more nuanced and impactful approach has emerged, especially concerning women's sports. Campaigns like 'Da Da Ding,' featuring a powerful squad of everyday female athletes, resonated deeply, driving app downloads and increasing participation in Nike Run Clubs. This demonstrated a crucial understanding: to truly connect with the Indian woman, the brand needed to celebrate her journey, her struggles, and her triumphs, not just the elite athlete. Enter Amy Montagne, Nike's President, who brings two decades of experience within the company, including a crucial stint as VP/GM Global Women's. Her promotion signals a clear strategic pivot, aiming to serve consumers across all sports and accelerate growth, with women's initiatives at the core. This renewed focus on women is not merely about product; it's about shifting the narrative, dismantling stereotypes, and creating a truly inclusive sporting environment. The recent campaigns featuring A'ja Wilson, the WNBA superstar, are a prime example of this bold new direction. Wilson embodies strength, unapologetic ambition, and a fierce dedication to her craft. Her presence, alongside other powerful female athletes like Caitlin Clark and Sha'Carri Richardson, in campaigns like 'So Win,' resonates with a message that transcends sport: it's okay to want to win, to be the best, and to demand your space. This sharper, bolder marketing appeal, less about feel-good clichés and more about the raw passion for victory, is a refreshing change. For the Indian market, this narrative holds immense power. Indian women often navigate societal expectations and traditional roles, making their foray into sports a testament to their resilience and determination. When Nike champions athletes like A'ja Wilson, who defy limitations and own their power, it sends a powerful message to every aspiring female athlete in India: your dreams are valid, your ambitions are worth pursuing, and you too can break barriers. The impact of such campaigns is not just about selling shoes; it's about fostering a cultural shift. By showcasing diverse female athletes who embody grit and determination, Nike is helping to normalize and celebrate women's participation in sports. This, in turn, can inspire more young girls in India to pick up a bat, kick a ball, or lace up their running shoes, knowing that a global brand stands with them. Nike's evolution, with its revamped leadership and powerful storytelling, is a testament to its understanding that the future of sport is undeniably female. In India, where the potential for women's sports is immense, this commitment from a brand as influential as Nike could be the catalyst for a truly transformative era, one where the swoosh becomes a symbol of empowerment for every Indian woman who dares to 'Just Do It.'
Business of Fashion
5 days ago
- Business
- Business of Fashion
Is Nike Finally Winning With Women?
Twenty years ago, The New York Times published a story headlined 'Nike Changes Strategy on Women's Apparel,' detailing the company's latest effort to win over that market 'after years of failures.' The strategy in May 2005: Mailing catalogs for its Nikewomen line to 600,000 homes, revamping and opening a new women's store in a New York suburb. Both the website and the store shut down long ago. For years after, Nike would repeatedly roll out new products, marketing and retail concepts aimed at female athletes. While it's built a sizeable business – $8.6 billion in wholesale sales alone in its last fiscal year – women's apparel and footwear never became the catalyst for growth or cultural clout that successive generations of Nike executives hoped. Meanwhile, the brand sometimes found itself on the defensive over its treatment of women. Customers complained of uninspired products and superficial marketing. Female employees at Nike's Beaverton, Oregon headquarters spoke to The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times of a boy's club culture where women were sidelined and passed over for advancement. The final lawsuit stemming from those investigations was settled in April of this year. In one two-year stretch, Nike lost two of its highest-profile female athletes, track star Allyson Felix and gymnastics gold medalist Simone Biles, to Gap-owned Athleta. ADVERTISEMENT Now, Nike is once again in the middle of a major push to win over women. This time, it seems to be working. For the first time in years, the storytelling and cultural cachet around Nike Women rivals – some would say, exceeds – what the brand is doing with men's sports or athletes. In February, Nike aired its first Super Bowl ad in nearly three decades — 'So Win,' a 60-second spot celebrating women athletes, starring WNBA superstars Caitlin Clark and A'ja Wilson, sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson and others. Months later, Nike's main Instagram account, with 300 million followers, is dominated by images of female athletes and Nike Women's gear. Nike's "So Win' Super Bowl campaign featured track and field star Sha'Carri Richardson. (Courtesy/Courtesy) It followed up in May with a campaign for Wilson to promote the release of her signature shoe, the 'A'One Pink Aura,' which sold out within minutes of hitting Nike's SNKRS app and the brand's website. 'Look who's back!' former Nike marketing executive Adrienne Lofton wrote under an Instagram post of the campaign, captioned: 'From the playground to the playoffs, real ones know there's only one A'ja.' Aja Wilson's "A'One" signature basketball shoe for Nike sold out within minutes of its release in May. (Courtesy/Courtesy) On the product innovation front, Nike is backing Kenyan runner Faith Kipyegon in her quest to become the first woman to run a mile in under four minutes, which she'll attempt on June 26 at Stade Charléty in Paris. NikeSkims, its upcoming partnership with Kim Kardashian's shapewear label, is being set up as the next Jordan Brand, with a line of training apparel, footwear and accessories set to drop any day now, and a global expansion planned for 2026. Nike is backing Kenyan runner Faith Kipyegon in her quest to become the first woman to run a mile in under four minutes. (Courtesy/Courtesy) In the ultimate vote of confidence, Nike named Amy Montagne — who has overseen these initiatives as general manager of its women's division — as brand president in May. Nike has also elevated other women to key leadership roles, including Ann Miller as EVP of global sports marketing and Nicole Graham as executive vice president and chief marketing officer. 'What I've really heard from everyone is — especially having experiences with so many women around the company — seeing me do this makes them see that they can as well,' Montagne told The Business of Fashion. ADVERTISEMENT At a time when Nike is trying to find its way out of its worst slump in decades, its ability to authentically connect with the female consumer could prove critical to turning things around. It's too soon to know whether these moves will translate into sales. In the last fiscal year, ending in May 2024, women's wholesale revenue overall was flat, and had grown at an average annual rate of 5.6 percent over the last decade, slightly slower than the overall business. Its share of the wholesale business, 21 percent last year, was virtually unchanged. However, the company said in December that growth in women's basketball and running exceeded men's late last year (new annual figures will be released in June with the company's annual results). Nike Women's has momentum, but the brand has taken its swing before. This time, it's the follow-through that counts. 'It's clear that to become a $50 billion-revenue business, Nike has had to focus on selling to [men and women],' said Simeon Siegel, managing director and senior analyst at BMO Capital Markets. 'But at the same time, they've clearly had their favourites.' Courting Women By sheer volume, Nike is already a powerhouse in women's athletic apparel. Its closest competitor, Lululemon, generated about $6.7 billion in women's sales last year. Where Nike has stumbled, said Siegel, is in 'voice' and 'perception' — the emotional connection that fosters lasting loyalty, particularly among women. This disconnect isn't unique to Nike. Brands have historically underinvested in the women's sports market, said Portia Blunt, who has held senior roles at Reebok and New Balance. 'As a whole, in the athletic industry, the women's space is always ripe,' Blunt said. 'It's always on the 'idea board' as white space. That tells us brands still aren't fully hitting the mark when it comes to capturing a potential audience.' ADVERTISEMENT This gap created an opening for Lululemon, and later, Alo Yoga and Skims. With sharp messaging and expansive offerings that went beyond the old 'shrink it and pink it' playbook, they captured territory Nike hadn't fully claimed, said Matt Powell, senior advisor at BCE Consulting. It's not that Nike ignored women's sports — the brand has put female athletes front and centre in its marketing practically from the start. In interviews, both Montagne and Nike vice president of global sports marketing Tanya Hvizdak noted Nike's backing of Joan Benoit Samuelson, the first women's Olympic marathon champion, in 1984. It's been a marketing partner of the WNBA since 1997, and made an equity investment in the league in 2022. Serena Williams wore Nike for most of her three-decade tennis career; her name graces a building on the Beaverton campus. The Serena Williams Building at Nike's Beaverton headquarters. (Courtesy/Courtesy) But Nike traded away some of the goodwill those partnerships brought with a very 'male-centric' go-to-market strategy, Powell said. 'They're saying, 'Oh, we got a new sports bra, it's the only sports bra she'll ever need,' he said. 'If she's doing yoga, she needs one kind of bra. If she's a runner, she needs another type of sportswear. And to say there's only she only needs one completely ignores her needs. That's how a guy would think.' Turning the Corner Nike's latest women's campaign has roots in a pivotal period for the brand. In 2018, it faced internal turmoil after the WSJ investigation, prompting a public apology from then-chief executive Mark Parker. By spring 2019, Olympic champion Allyson Felix had parted ways with Nike, citing inadequate maternity protections and a proposed pay cut — a flashpoint in broader criticism of how the brand treated women athletes. 'If you were to go back to that period, our female athletes were saying that they wanted more from us; there were opportunities for us to lean in in a greater capacity,' Hvizdak said. That summer, the 2019 Women's World Cup in France became a breakout moment for women's sports, drawing record viewership and cultural momentum. Nike had poured significant resources into the tournament, and its 'Dream With Us' ad featuring the US team drew widespread acclaim. Nike's national strips for the Women's World Cup | Source: Nike News Nike's national strips for the Women's World Cup | Source: Nike News 'All of us were saying, 'Women's sport is going to take off,'' said Montagne, who oversaw the campaign. In 2021, Nike launched its Athlete Think Tank — a collective of female athletes, including A'ja Wilson, brought together to share ideas, collaborate, and help Nike improve the athlete experience both on and off the field. Out of the cohort, now in its fifth iteration, came innovations like a new maternity line in 2022 and leak-protection shorts in 2023, designed to minimize the risk of leaks during menstruation and physical activity. 'The premise of the [Think Tank] was, 'how do we bring [women's] voices throughout the entirety of our organisation?'' said Hvizdak. Nike's campaign with Wilson embodies the brand's evolution. Splashed across both its main Instagram grid and the Nike Women's account, the campaign leans into Wilson's trademark humility while unapologetically centering her Black identity. There's an image of diamond grills between pink-glossed lips — and in the campaign video, little Black girls with braids clapping to a rhyme about Wilson, and an actress portraying a young Wilson being shushed by her grandmother in church. 'A'ja helped co-create everything about that launch from a product perspective — her voice was singular,' Hvizdak said. 'Those insights came through all the details within that product, in regards to the fit and feel of it … And then when you're talking about the community aspect and the storytelling, she wanted to make sure that it was tied to her community.' The "A'One" for A'ja Wilson. (Courtesy/Courtesy) Beyond the high-profile campaign and signature shoe launch, Nike has put real backing behind Wilson — supporting her 'Dear Black Girls' book tour, bringing her to Paris Men's Fashion Week, and naming her the first signature athlete for its partnership with Lego, which includes apparel and footwear co-designed with the toy company. 'Our job is to fuel the voice of the athletes, and I think that's really what's coming through on the campaigns,' Montagne said. Overall, women's basketball has long been a challenging category — sales of performance basketball shoes have been sluggish generally, and women's footwear represent a tiny portion of that market. But brands also haven't stuck around long enough to unlock the sport's potential, said Blunt. '[They] invest for a season or two... and walk away because it's not turning fast enough in terms of the results you want to see,' she said. While Nike has long supported the WNBA, its track record of developing shoes for individual women athletes has been less consistent. After debuting several signature sneakers with WNBA stars in the league's early years, Nike went more than a decade without launching a new one for mass distribution. That changed in 2022 with the Air Deldon, designed for Washington Mystics star Elena Delle Donne. The following year, Nike introduced the Sabrina 1, a performance shoe for New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, which saw strong sales in both North America and China, according to the brand. Caitlin Clark stars in Nike's 'So Win' Super Bowl campaign. (Courtesy/Courtesy) Nike's investment in stars like Wilson — and 'ultimately Caitlin Clark,' a Nike athlete who many expect to receive her own shoe — could help shift that narrative and 'legitimize the women's basketball shoe business,' Powell said. NikeSims presents another opportunity. The collaboration aims to create a new brand and reinforce Nike's commitment to inclusivity through Skims' focus on body-sculpting apparel, Montagne said. 'The idea behind this new brand is to bring some disruption, to really disrupt the global fitness and activewear industry,' she said. 'We have a tremendous opportunity to invite more women into sport and movement.' NikeSKIMS will debut its first collection in the United States at select retail locations and online this spring. (Nike) Women at the Top Nike's representation of women has steadily increased in recent years. As of fiscal year 2023, women made up 51 percent of the company's global corporate workforce and 44 percent of its vice presidents and senior leaders. In 2020, those figures were 50 percent and 39 percent, respectively. 'If they continue down the path they are on, and it [remains] a long-term endeavor, then we'll see those numbers continue to increase,' said Blunt. 'I fundamentally believe that Nike does look at representation and having a diverse thought leadership as important — and you're starting to see proof in the pudding.' One of the clearest signs of Nike's leap forward is the rise of women leaders like Montagne — a 20-year Swoosh veteran who's twice led the women's category, and one of the architects behind the Skims deal. Amy Montagne is president of the Nike brand. (Courtesy/Courtesy) For the Nike brand, Montagne now leads across all product, storytelling, and what she describes as 'delivering the most amazing experiences for consumers, both physical and digital.' Having joined the company in 2005 as a senior director for kids apparel, Montagne says her tenure leading the women's business positioned her to take on a broader mandate — one that still hinges on the women's category as a key growth engine. 'Working in women's, you have to have the belief of what the future can be … and see a different future than how it is today,' she said. 'I take that spirit with me into this role.'
Business Insider
11-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
This new shoe just scored Nike a much-needed win
Investing in women's sports has been a priority for Nike lately, and basketball star A'ja Wilson's new A'One sneaker sold out in under five minutes in Tuesday's online release. It's a project that Wilson said took over two years to come into fruition. As all eyes are on Nike to make good on its promises for a comeback, it's a win for the sports apparel giant. Its decision to use women's sports to reach its goal is "a savvy one" as the WNBA enters the global stage with surging viewership, Rachel Wolff, analyst at BI sister company EMARKETER, said. "The way Nike has approached the launch is also smart: By using limited releases — a rarity for its performance sneakers — the brand has been able to build buzz and increase the product's desirability ahead of its official debut," Wolff said. During the second-quarter fiscal year 2025 earnings call, CEO Elliott Hill shouted out Nike's "gender offense" by tapping some of the WNBA's biggest stars, including Wilson, Sabrina Ionescu, and Caitlin Clark. So far, its investment is showing returns, with high single-digit growth in women's training apparel for the same quarter. However, the comeback is far from complete. Last quarter's revenues were $11.3 billion, down 9% from the previous year on a reported basis. Repairing relationships with its retail partners, like Foot Locker and Dick's Sporting Goods, is another smart play by Nike after a "disastrous" direct-to-consumer strategy that started in 2018, Wolff said. Checks conducted by BMO Capital Markets analysts found that the first online drop of the A'One in the Pink A'ura color way had a "very limited supply," with key retailers selling out on Thursday. The OG Pearl iteration is set to release on May 15. "While scale is obviously necessary to move any Nike needle (particularly as Nike reduces reliance on classics), we see these data points as encouraging," analyst Simeon Siegel said in a Friday note on Nike's latest sneaker launches. It's Wilson's first signature shoe with Nike. She appeared in the company's viral "So Win" Super Bowl commercial featuring only female athletes in February. A clip of her spinning a basketball on one nail was particularly popular. "We designed the Nike A'One so that when girls lace up, they channel A'ja's encouragement through her footwear, knowing they can be like her one day," Ben Nethongkome, lead designer for the A'One footwear, said in a statement ahead of the launch.
Business Insider
11-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
This new shoe just scored Nike a much-needed win
Nike's long-awaited collaboration with the WNBA's reigning MVP paid off pretty much instantly. Investing in women's sports has been a priority for Nike lately, and basketball star A'ja Wilson's new A'One sneaker sold out in under five minutes in Tuesday's online release. It's a project that Wilson said took over two years to come into fruition. As all eyes are on Nike to make good on its promises for a comeback, it's a win for the sports apparel giant. Its decision to use women's sports to reach its goal is "a savvy one" as the WNBA enters the global stage with surging viewership, Rachel Wolff, analyst at BI sister company EMARKETER, said. "The way Nike has approached the launch is also smart: By using limited releases — a rarity for its performance sneakers — the brand has been able to build buzz and increase the product's desirability ahead of its official debut," Wolff said. During the second-quarter fiscal year 2025 earnings call, CEO Elliott Hill shouted out Nike's "gender offense" by tapping some of the WNBA's biggest stars, including Wilson, Sabrina Ionescu, and Caitlin Clark. So far, its investment is showing returns, with high single-digit growth in women's training apparel for the same quarter. However, the comeback is far from complete. Last quarter's revenues were $11.3 billion, down 9% from the previous year on a reported basis. Repairing relationships with its retail partners, like Foot Locker and Dick's Sporting Goods, is another smart play by Nike after a "disastrous" direct-to-consumer strategy that started in 2018, Wolff said. Checks conducted by BMO Capital Markets analysts found that the first online drop of the A'One in the Pink A'ura color way had a "very limited supply," with key retailers selling out on Thursday. The OG Pearl iteration is set to release on May 15. "While scale is obviously necessary to move any Nike needle (particularly as Nike reduces reliance on classics), we see these data points as encouraging," analyst Simeon Siegel said in a Friday note on Nike's latest sneaker launches. It's Wilson's first signature shoe with Nike. She appeared in the company's viral "So Win" Super Bowl commercial featuring only female athletes in February. A clip of her spinning a basketball on one nail was particularly popular. "We designed the Nike A'One so that when girls lace up, they channel A'ja's encouragement through her footwear, knowing they can be like her one day," Ben Nethongkome, lead designer for the A'One footwear, said in a statement ahead of the launch.
Khaleej Times
14-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Why Kim Kardashian's bold move into sportswear could redefine women's activewear
It's a coming together of two American icons that simultaneously makes total sense and zero sense. When the collaboration between Kim Kardashian's SKIMS fashion juggernaut with the world's biggest sportswear giant, Nike, to launch the NikeSKIMS sub brand, was announced last month, opinion was divided. Kim's not a sportsperson, seemed to be the most pervasive message from the anti-camp; while a massive hell-yeah for bringing the female-focused, solutions-oriented vision of SKIMS into the male-dominated sports arena echoed around those in favour. A week prior to the announcement Nike had already made it clear that its future is female by unveiling the brand's first Super Bowl campaign in nearly 30 years. 'So Win' heralded the heroism of female athletes bang in the middle of the US's most masculine sporting event. Make no bones about it, Nike needs women to stay on top. The likes of Lululemon and Alo have been stealing women's hearts, minds and share of spend steadily over the last decade. Anecdotally, as a fitness instructor, I see more Lulu logos than Nike worn by the women in my classes. SKIMS, tagline 'Solutions for Every Body', undoubtedly knows women's bodies. And, as Nike proclaims, 'If you have a body, you are an athlete'. As a sportswear fanatic, I will absolutely be tracking down pieces from NikeSKIMS when it launches in the States this spring, rolling out globally in 2026. At this point, I should confess to having skin in the game. Over the last year or so, myself and a Dubai-based fashion designer have been developing a performance-led high-end women's sportswear brand in response to a gap in the market for workout clothes that perform during intense training sessions without compromising on style (where SKIMS is sexy, our lodestone is chic). Set to launch in a couple of months, we want dressing for the gym to generate as much of an endorphin rush as you'd feel after an hour of cardio, weights or Hyrox prep. We're not the only ones with this mindset. The 2024 Paris Olympics set the stage for a new era of sports style rising from the birthplace of high fashion. The legendary former French Vogue editor-in-chief Carine Roitfeld is launching a new media brand, Players, celebrating the intersection of fashion and sport. Debuting this May, the biannual title is billed by Roitfeld as being 'a space where sport and high fashion collide in ways no one has seen before'. In recent years, we've seen multiple luxury brands team up with sports giants as wardrobes increasingly become less formal. Balenciaga brought Under Armour onto its cruise 2025 runway, Miu Miu's with New Balance, Loewe's at On and Hoka's hooked up with Marni this season. In previous years Dior x Jordan fuelled frantic buying across resale forums, and Adidas – which started working with British fashion designer Stella McCartney on women's sportswear back in 2005 – has since collaborated with everyone from Gucci to Balenciaga (I have a pair of real leather Prada x Adidas Superstar sneakers from 2020, that I am too scared to wear in case they get scuffed, thus defeating the object of sports shoes). Sticking a designer label on a sneaker is a fine way of allowing a luxury customer to combine comfort and status, but, for me at least, far more interesting is developing desirable products that promote movement, wellbeing, and, well, actual sports. Which is what, on paper at least, NikeSKIMS is promising. I want to be able to run, jump, sweat and lift without compromising my personal style. I wouldn't wear floral leggings and a shapeless T-shirt to a restaurant, why should I wear them to the gym? I mentioned the Copenhagen-based womenswear brand Rotate last week, and it's just been announced that the label, best known for sparkly party frocks, has reimagined the Danish National Women's Football team kit (albeit sans sequins). More women in sport, dressing like we want to (not like we have to)? Score!
