Nike, Miu Miu & the Athletes
The scramble for women sportswear market share
No, I cannot explain the gap in my posting schedule, I missed it terribly and it is great to be back. I was watching Faith Kipyegon dare to be the first woman to run a mile in under 4 minutes in Paris and it was a solid reminder to continue to have massive dreams and have the courage to be seen trying. Her outstanding run surrounded by her pacers, loving supporters watching at the Stade Sébastien-Charléty stadium in Paris and around the world made me feel patriotic as fuck, especially with everything going on in our country.
Nike has been a part of Faith’s running journey since she was 16 years old supporting her as a triple Olympic Gold Medal winner, a World Champion in the 1500m race and now breaking her own mile record at 4:06:42. This collaboration is especially noteworthy with Nike’s involvement in Faith’s bid through apparel and footwear innovation, organizing and sponsoring the “Breaking 4” event. To maximize her performance in attempting the 4-minute mile, her running kit was zonal mapped to ease air resistance, her sports bra 3D printed, which Nike claims will be the most breathable in the market, her shoes designed to match her exact stride with unique bait spikes lighter than what she wore during her last 1500m Olympic Gold medal win, and a seamless headband, all made with breathable aerodynamic fabric.
Ahead of the record-breaking event, Nike released a collection with Kipyegon which included the three Pegasus silhouettes in Nike’s responsive cushioning category of running footwear, as well as the Alphafly 3, Victory 2 spike and Aeroswift women’s running apparel awash in her favorite color purple.
Nike, the marketing giants they are, have been able roll out iconic slogans and campaigns that have cemented the brands legacy of inspirational story telling that ignite passion in their audience. Nike rolled out the “So Win” campaign at this year’s LIX Superbowl, the first in three decades, directed by Wieden + Kennedy. Voiced by rapper Doechii, the ad highlights female athletes, Sabrina Ionescu, Jordan Chiles, Caitlin Clark, Sha’Carri Richardson, A’ja Wilson, Sophia Wilson and several others from Nike’s iconic roster of athletes who despite all the criticism surrounding women sports, continue to redefine expectations in their respective sports. This is part of the new CEO Elliot Hill’s new strategy to win the women back to Nike and get out of the recent sales slump.
Nike’s holistic approach to win runners over with Faith Kipyegon is in contrast to the now expected formula of releasing a limited collection with an athlete, enter New Balance x Miu Miu with tennis player Coco Gauff. Miu Miu has been a clothing sponsor for Coco Gauff on and off the court dressing her in a custom tennis yellow Miu Miu gown for her debut at this year’s Oscars red carpet as well as her playing kits in Berlin, Rome and Cincinnati opens. Miu Miu x New Balance debuted their collaboration on the Miu Miu Spring/Summer 22 runway with the reimagining of the 1980s New Balnce 574 sneaker in white khaki and blue. The maison merges the worlds of sport and fashion with more emphasis on nostalgic retro aesthetic while Nike is choosing to focus on enhancing performance and functionality of its footwear and apparel. The collection with Coco will be available for purchase from September 10th and for a limited period in selected Miu Miu stores worldwide and on the official website.
A comparison of the two collections reveals the different targeted female audience that form this large market. The Miu Miu collection appears to target those who want to look sporty and rich while Faith’s Nike targets the runners. For the most decorated female athlete of all time, Faith’s Nike collection barely received any coverage and unfortunately doesn’t seem to have an immediate impact in gaining back Nike’s market share lost to their competitors like Lululemon, Hoka and On. The prices of the Nike collection are however very reasonable and attractive, but it is quite unclear how the sales will translate. I only found out about the collection at the time of writing this article, a completely missed opportunity to convert the exposure to sales. While Miu Miu doesn’t exclusively focus on sportswear, they are experiencing strong retail sales with their athletic inspired pieces and strong identity and incredible strategic marketing.
Maybe we should wait for secret weapon Kim Kardashian to fly in and rescue them from the declining popularity with women by finally releasing a product from the NikeSKIMS collection that was announced in February this year. Despite the loss in market share, Nike is still the leading sportwear brand by far, but womenswear division grew by 4.4% compared to the men’s 13.5% from 2021 to 2024 according to Eurovision International. It is clear that the company still has a long way to go in claiming back the credibility loss and maybe Elliot has more surprise tactics.
Talk soon
I can’t wait to get back to the fashion, lifestyle and culture and continue to yap about stuff no one cares about.
Love always, Masaranga xx