Italian fashion brand Prada is getting sporty with a new, first-of-its-kind collaboration.Together with German sportswear player Adidas, the duo will launch a collection of technical footwear featuring distinctly Prada twists. While joint efforts in the sporting shoe world are not uncommon, one between the luxury brand and it’s high-performance parener is unprecedented.“There seems to be such a natural synergy between Prada and Adidas in terms of brand values: a mutual focus on cutting-edge style, a streamlined design esthetic, and a passion for performance sports and sportswear.”

Mr. Bruck is not affiliated with Prada, but agreed to comment as an industry expert.Prada x Adidas
The trailblazing partnership will see Prada put their mark on three of Adidas’ most popular and established products: the Predator Accuracy, the Copa Pure and the X Crazyfast.Through the three pairs of soccer shoes seek to combine the two iconic fashion brands’ respective DNAs, with throughlines of Prada’s iconic Linea Rossa, the original luxury athleisure line. The monochromatic designs will incorporate black, white and silver alongside Prada’s signature red iconography.To be released in men’s and women’s variants on May 25, the collection will release in a limited-time run with a narrow number of products available.The practice of limited drops is no stranger to luxury or athletic brands. Nike, Jordan Brand and Adidas, among others, have all made limited shoe and clothing drops core parts of their business strategies, with apps designed around the lucrative game plan.The Prada x Adidas collection will release on the athleisure brand’s “CONFIRMED” app, as well as on Prada’s website and in select Prada stores.“While these limited drops/exclusive partnerships boost revenue, they do much more,” says Donnie Pacheco, CEO of Donnie P. Consulting, Seattle.“Because they are limited edition they create a great sense of buzz and urgency since they are limited in quantities and length of availability,” Mr. Pacheco said. “They also allow both partners to tap into the other’s customer group.”“While there is likely a great deal of crossover already, it will put each brand front and center in front of the other brand’s customer group.”The limited release practice, while commonplace, is known to be prone to resale bots’ exploitation. The bots are set up by resale groups to buy up as much of the limited stock as possible before flipping products for a steeply inflated price.You can read more on the botting issue in the New York Times’ reporting.