Alasdhair Willis has officially been appointed the new Chief Creative Officer of adidas. As the COO, Willis will lead creative direction for the global brand and its three major labels – Performance, Originals, and Sportswear. Willis’ term will officially commence in April.
Adidas and Willis have been connected since 2005. He is married to Stella McCartney, who has also been a longtime partner with adidas and has designed many collections for the company. Willis helped to develop Stella McCartney’s line at adidas and has been a key player in advancing the partnership’s growth.
“Stepping into a permanent role at adidas and evolving our partnership is a great privilege and feels like an incredibly exciting and natural next step,” said Willis. “The power and influence of the brand on sport, sports culture, and beyond is immeasurable. I welcome the opportunity to help establish a new era of design and brand leadership at adidas and, together with the team, take adidas to even higher levels.”
Through his experience with adidas by Stella McCartney, Willis has garnered a great understanding of the adidas enterprise which consists of its consumers and a web of different brands, labels, and categories. Willis has even spearheaded some of adidas’ most revolutionary projects in developing innovative materials.
Before adidas, Willis was known for his work as the Creative Director of Hunter and co-founder of Wallpaper* Magazine. Between his passion projects and creative expertise, Willis is expected to mature commercial, strategic, and leadership functions at adidas.
“Alasdhair is a true icon of the industry and together we have produced some of adidas’ most innovative work, so to now have him lead our design community and set the future of our brand expression is a wonderful thing,” said Executive Board Member of Global Brands, Brian Grevy. “We are looking forward to seeing the influence of his unique creative vision, experience and expertise from developing and establishing some of the world’s most recognised brands.”
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