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I actually think it's a different, ahem, ball game. Nike until very recently insisted that they never made shoes other than for the sports market. Sports star endorsement was a marketing device that openeing up the sportwear market to kids that admired the stars - all three brands did this, and I'm not sur who did it first, but I'd bet on it being adidas - the Arthur Ash's for example famously having I think the first endorsement of a black sportsperson. Then you had adidas Pele's, Lendl's, Rod Lavers, Stan Smiths etc.
The collab with designers is introducing the sneaker companies to a whole new and different market - fashion people.
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