Paul Gaudio, Adidas creative director, has relocated from Germany to Portland. The news was mentioned in an interview by Adidas Group North America President Mark King with the Wall Street Journal.
King told the newspaper that while Adidas has a solid positioning in basketball, it was “not relevant today” in football and baseball and one of the brand’s goal is: “How do we become more a part of American sport?”
The move of Gaudio is partly to better connect with American culture, including styling. Said King, “The styling, the design, has to resonate more with American consumers. So the company is moving the global head of design to Portland, so that the head of design lives in America. And hes also an American. That will happen this fall.”
The interview came as SportsScanInfo data showed that Adidas had fallen to third place behind Under Armour for the first time in sales in the U.S. so far this year.
The Wall Street Journal interview is here.
