Adidas wants to become the sportswear brand of choice for Gen Z shoppers as it launches a collection aimed at taking on Nike

• Adidas unveiled a new brand targeted at Gen Z shoppers this week.
• The new collection includes soccer jerseys, tracksuits, and dresses for everyday wear.

Adidas wants to become the sportswear brand of choice for Gen Z shoppers.

The German athletics giant announced Wednesday that it is launching a new collection of trendy sportswear-style clothing targeted at the next generation, and modeled by American actress, and Gen Z style icon, Jenna Ortega.

This is the first time Adidas has launched a new label in 50 years, and according to company leaders, has the potential to be its biggest one yet.

Gen Z, which is classed as anyone born between the mid-1990s and mid-2010s, is becoming a more important consumer group in retail as this age group enters the workforce and their spending power increases. As a result, brands have become more aggressive in targeting these shoppers.

Dubbed Sportswear, Adidas' new collection has reportedly been 18 months in the making. Its launch comes just months after Adidas shut down its Yeezy brand, a collaboration with Kanye West that was popular with Gen Z shoppers. Adidas cut ties with West after the rapper-turned-designer was involved in a number of controversies, including making antisemitic comments online.

The company previously said that Yeezy had been one of its most successful collaborations; analysts estimate that it brought in between $1.5 billion to $2 billion per year in revenue.

Sportswear, which launches online and in stores worldwide on February 9, is likely hoping to fill part of the gap left behind by Yeezy, and appears to be aimed at taking market share from Adidas' leading competitor, Nike.

Nike is frequently ranked as the top sportswear brand among teen shoppers. It made the top place for the 12th year running in Piper Sandler's semiannual "Taking Stock with Teens" report in 2022, which surveyed 14,500 teens about their brand preferences. In the most recent release of the report, 31% of teens said Nike is their favorite brand, while just 3% picked Adidas.

Adidas describes its Sportswear collection as "sport for style" – clothing for everyday wear that includes items such as football jerseys, dresses, and fresh takes on its iconic three-stripe tracksuit.

It has a strong "blokecore" aesthetic – a Gen Z trend that exploded on TikTok in 2022 — which brings back 90s soccer shirts and the style of musicians from the time period like Noel and Liam Gallagher of Oasis.

Adidas did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on the price point of this collection.