Adidas officially launched its Sailing range at the 2016 London Boat Show, with Peter Baker, CEO at Catamaran Sports Adidas Sailing, also revealing that the sports clothing Goliath is actively seeking to enter the superyacht market.

“We have looked at the superyacht market and we are in touch with some of the larger suppliers to the sector because we can cover both on and off the water products, which is unique in terms of what a brand can offer, so there is discussion with several of the major players at the moment,” explains Baker.

Adidas’ prowess as a technical institute as well as a respected sporting brand puts the company in a unique position in terms of all-encompassing product provision, especially when its street wear credentials are taken into account. The catwalk-meets-dockwalk style potentially offered by Adidas will certainly make it an attractive company for outfitting.

“We are able to cover everything from work wear and serving right through to the technical wear required to sail,” continues Baker. One of the areas that Adidas is keen to explore is the benefit of wearable technology. “Sailors are performance athletes, systems like heart rate monitors, blood pressure measurements and GPS locators are now common in top level sport.”

It is the lessons learnt through top level sport that make Adidas clothing an attractive prospect. If these elements can be incorporated into superyachting then crew will benefit.

It is not inconceivable to imagine a line of crew wear that incorporates man overboard technology into clothing. It is yet to be seen the degree to which Adidas will develop this technology, but with the finances available to it, and its aspirations to become a sailing stalwart, advanced wearable technology may filter its way into crew uniform.

Adidas already offers a versatile line of products from the stylish to the practical, from deck shoes to Gore-Tex apparel. Baker predicts that by the summer of 2016 Adidas will be ready to make a formal announcement of its superyacht range.

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