CEOs from the world’s top footwear companies came out on Wednesday night to celebrate the industry’s top players and brands — and playfully challenge their competition — at the 37th annual FN Achievement Awards.
Accepting the night’s first award of the Shoe of the Year for the Adidas Samba, the German company’s CEO Bjorn Gulden set the tone for the evening with a cheeky message for Nike and its CEO John Donahoe, who was also attending the event at Cipriani South Street ballroom on Wednesday night.
“To the Nike people in the room, watch out,” Gulden said. “We have a lot in the pipeline… not a joke.”
Accepting the Brand of the Year award on behalf of Hoka, Deckers CEO Dave Powers also played into the competitive atmosphere in the room.
“[There’s] a couple of things to say. First of all, Nike, Adidas, we have a lot in our pipeline too,” Powers said. “So get ready.”
While Donahoe did not address the crowd on stage during the evening, Jordan Brand chairman Larry Miller responded to Powers and Gulden on behalf of the Swoosh in his speech presenting the Hall of Fame award to Nike’s Howard White.
“I want to say to the brands and folks that called us out earlier: Bring it on,” he said. “We’re ready for you.”
Hoka has consistently seen skyrocketing growth since Deckers acquired the running brand in 2012. In fiscal 2023, the running shoe brand crossed the billion-dollar mark, with sales totaling $1.41 billion, up 58.5 percent from the prior year’s $891.6 million. In its most recent second quarter, Hoka posted net sales of $424 million, up 27.3 percent from the same period the previous year.
Nike this year laid out a broad comeback plan for the increasingly competitive running category. In recent years, the footwear giant has lost share to smaller, running-focused brands like Hoka, Brooks and On, all three of which have found success with their niche perfomance offerings. Adidas has also recently outlined a goal to increase its presence in the running sector as well.
“The visibility in running will be increased,” Gulden said in a call with analysts earlier this month. “You will see us at more events, you will see us with more athletes and you will see a bit more products out there.”
Gulden, who joined Adidas in January, previously called out Nike during an earnings call in May.
“I do think that we need to have a different business model than Nike,” Gulden said, explaining how Nike’s connection to “American street culture” makes sense for the Swoosh, given its global headquarters in the U.S. “We need to do it in a different way.”
Some speakers at the awards used their platform to speak to the industry titans in the room for other purposes. In accepting his award for Launch of the Year, Brandon Blackwood took his moment onstage to send a message to Donahoe and Gulden.
“I know we are in the presence of the CEO of Adidas and Nike here. I would love to collab,” the designer said.
Emerging Talent winner Ancuta Sarca also thanked the Swoosh team for supporting her upcycling endeavor.
