At Milan Fashion Week, Gucci presented its Exquisite Gucci 2024 Fall collection, while also announcing a new collaboration with Adidas.
Out of the 84 looks on display, the collaborative pieces between Gucci and Adidas were unprecedented in both number and variety. The partnership included clothing, footwear, and accessories, all attempting to blend the brand identities of both companies.
For example, the collaborative apparel continued Gucci’s signature luxury, retro, and neutral styles, while incorporating Adidas’ iconic trefoil logo and three stripes. This fusion spanned items like suits, hats, shirts, and handbags. The footwear collection, based on the Adidas Originals GAZELLE, maintained the brand’s iconic triple stripes, but added canvas, suede, faux snakeskin, and Gucci’s logo for a more versatile look.
Additionally, a co-branded logo was launched, combining Adidas’ trefoil with Gucci’s serif typography, symbolizing the union of the two brands.
Brand collaborations like this have become a popular marketing strategy, drawing attention and increasing visibility. By combining their iconic symbols and launching a “dual-brand logo,” Gucci and Adidas aimed to capture the interest of a wider audience.
However, when the collaboration reached Chinese social media, it received mixed reviews, with many netizens criticizing the products as looking “cheap” or “Fake Gucci.” Some even compared the pieces to knock-off Adidas products found on taobao. In short, rather than elevating Adidas’ brand image, this partnership might have tarnished Gucci’s.
So, why did this Gucci x Adidas collaboration face ridicule?
For any cross-industry collaboration to succeed, the two brands must be compatible—both in terms of resources and public perception. Otherwise, the stronger brand might dilute its own image, while the weaker one risks being overshadowed.
On the surface, Adidas and Gucci seem well-matched. In Forbes’ 2020 list of the 100 most valuable brands globally, Gucci ranked 31st, while Adidas placed 51st, even higher than Chanel. These rankings are based on financial reports and market data, highlighting the business value of each brand.
However, in terms of consumer perceived value, the gap between Adidas and Gucci is significant.
As Michael Porter mentions in Competitive Advantage, the key to success lies in the value companies create for customers. Similarly, the author of Understanding Customer Value, Woodruff, noted that customer-perceived value is the next competitive advantage.
Perceived value is a balance between perceived gains and perceived costs. Gains might include the physical, emotional, and service-related attributes of a product, while costs include factors like price, effort to obtain, and potential risks of disappointment.
For example, when purchasing a product, customers often look beyond its intrinsic value, considering factors like packaging, origin, after-sales services, advertising, and social perception. If the perceived benefits outweigh the costs, they’ll happily make the purchase, even if marketing claims are exaggerated.
It’s important to note that perceived value is highly subjective and personal—it has less to do with logic or production costs and everything to do with perception.
In addition to a product’s functionality, a brand’s “meaning system” significantly influences perceived value. This system embodies the brand’s role in people’s lives, and how it reflects their values, aspirations, and emotions. Gucci’s meaning system, for instance, is much stronger than Adidas’.
Gucci’s identity is tied to luxury, success, and high-society appeal, whereas Adidas, despite being a dominant sportswear brand, is associated with everyday life and athleticism, making it harder for the brand to be seen as elite or trendy.
Moreover, when it comes to aesthetics, luxury brands tend to lean toward exclusivity and sophistication, while sports brands evoke energy and inclusivity. Emotionally and culturally, Gucci appeals to high-end sensibilities, while Adidas resonates more with perseverance and accessibility.
Thus, Gucci’s perceived value is closely linked to wealth and status, whereas Adidas connects more with the average person and sports culture. Sociologist Gabriel Tarde, in The Laws of Imitation, explains that people tend to imitate those of higher social status. This is why, in public perception, Gucci is considered more valuable than Adidas, even if most people have never purchased a Gucci product.
So, when Gucci collaborates with Adidas, it’s inevitable that some will feel Gucci has “lost its value.”
On the other hand, when a luxury brand like Gucci partners with a trendier, more exclusive brand, there’s usually less criticism. Take the 2018 collaboration between Louis Vuitton and streetwear brand Supreme. This partnership was seen as a creative breakthrough for LV and helped it connect with younger, street culture enthusiasts. Meanwhile, for Supreme, the collaboration showcased its ability to blend bold individuality with timeless luxury, drawing attention from a more affluent audience.
While LV is a high-end brand targeting the elite, Supreme’s connection to street culture makes “cool” just as valuable and luxurious in today’s internet-driven cultural landscape.
Ultimately, a closer look at Forbes’ brand rankings reveals that Gucci’s high position is largely driven by its perceived value, which results in high premiums, while Adidas relies more on its sheer volume of business.