Perfect Fusion: why adidas partners with Zalando to reach female footballers

The collaboration between adidas and Zalando began more than a decade ago. Back in 2010, when the internet was still taking shape and Instagram had just a million users, adidas introduced its Performance line to the Zalando platform. adidas Originals followed soon after, firming the foundations of what has become a strategic, long‑term partnership. This relationship has continued to flourish, from co‑hosting cultural fashion events to integrated logistics and marketing activations.

Mutual commitment and alignment have unlocked ever-stronger connections with adidas consumers, says Handy: “What I’ve seen from the adidas-Zalando relationship – the fit in our partnership is great and I think we see that coming to life with a product like Spark Fusion right now..” 

Spark Fusion marks a milestone in women’s sport: it’s adidas’s first football boot designed specifically for women, and it’s been created based on input and feedback from female pro players. “Scanning a lot of feet and really looking for the differences between the male and the female pro player foot,” enabled adidas to create a product that has captured the key target market, says Handy. “We’ve managed to go very quickly to a huge amount of our female pros wearing Spark Fusion, because they’ve just fallen in love with the product,” he adds. 

Unleashed in time for the 2025 Women’s Euros, the boot was worn by several stars of the competition. The tournament was hugely popular. Stadium attendance records were broken again and again and worldwide television viewer figures for the final hit around 45 million. Figures for the UK alone reached more than 16 million, where it was the most-watched live broadcast of the year.  

The momentum is clear – as is the scale of opportunity. “We need to grow with the growth in women's sport,” says Handy. “I think we’ll see more and more girls across the globe playing football.”

How, then, to get the right products into the hands – or onto the feet – of that audience of keen amateurs and budding professionals?  

“As the lines blur between digital and physical,” says Handy, “the opportunity for us is to offer a complete experience, unlocking whole new avenues in how our product can look, how our product can feel. So many of our consumers now, their first touchpoint is digital. They experience brands initially online, and then the delivery of the product needs to match with that incredible experience.”

Recently developed 3D technology enables Zalando partners to digitize their products, particularly footwear. On mobile, customers can experience virtual try-on, while on desktop, they are able to zoom in on a detail and rotate the item in every direction through 360º – it’s the closest thing you can have online to holding the product in your hands.  

In both sport and e‑commerce, “fit” means more than size – it’s about synergy. Just as a football boot must suit a player’s foot and style of play, a business partner must align with the brand’s values, audience, and experience.

“The best product only works when it’s in the hands of players, and this partnership helps us do that for more people more often,” says Handy. For adidas, Zalando is more than a retail channel – it’s a digital stage where consumers can feel seen, understood, and inspired.

In the world of football, the right boot can revolutionise performance. In the world of e‑commerce, the right partner can transform connection. Together, adidas and Zalando embody a movement towards truly fitting the needs of modern, digitally engaged consumers.