Michael Michalsky
Founder of the Michalsky label, former global creative director of adidas
Michael Michalsky is a German designer who, during more than a decade at adidas, latterly as global creative director, helped bring designer collaborations into sportswear. He then founded his own Berlin based label and became one of the best known figures of Berlin Fashion Week through his StyleNite events.
| Role | Founder of Michalsky |
|---|---|
| Born | 1967, Göttingen, Germany |
| Education | London College of Fashion |
| adidas | 1995 to 2006; global creative director from 2000 |
| Own label | Founded in Berlin in 2006 |
Who is Michael Michalsky?
Michael Michalsky, born in Göttingen in 1967, is a German fashion designer and creative director. He is best known internationally for his decade at adidas, where he oversaw the creative direction of the brand, and in Germany for his own label and its show events in Berlin.
Career
After studying at the London College of Fashion, which he completed in 1992, Michalsky started his career as a design manager at Levi Strauss & Co. in Germany. In 1995 he joined adidas as chief designer and in 2000 became its global creative director. During his tenure the company developed collaborations with designers and artists including Yohji Yamamoto and Stella McCartney, partnerships that helped establish the model of the high fashion and sportswear collaboration that is now common across the industry. In 2003 GQ named him national designer of the year, and in 2005 the adidas design team he led received a Red Dot award as design team of the year.
In June 2006 Michalsky left adidas and founded Michalsky Holding in Berlin. His first runway show took place at Berlin's Rotes Rathaus in January 2007. He later turned his shows into StyleNite, a biannual event during Berlin Fashion Week that combined fashion with music and art performances.
Influence on the fashion business
Michalsky's career illustrates the convergence of sportswear, lifestyle and designer fashion. At adidas he was part of the shift that turned performance products into fashion statements, and his own business has extended his name through licensing and partnerships. These have included collections for Tchibo under the Mitch & Co. name from 2007 to 2009, sportswear designs for Kappa in China from 2009, a collection created with WWF Germany in 2010 and beachwear for the retailer Lascana from 2012.
- Designer collaborations in sportswear during his adidas years
- Event led brand building through StyleNite
- Licensing and partnership projects across categories
He has also become a familiar face to a wider German audience through television, including a role on the jury of the talent show Das Supertalent in 2021.
Why it matters
For the fashion business, Michalsky is an early example of the creative director as a bridge between mass market brands and designer culture. The collaboration formats he helped build at adidas anticipated the partnership economy that now drives much of sportswear marketing, while his Berlin activities contributed to the visibility of the German capital as a fashion location.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Michael Michalsky?
Michael Michalsky is a German fashion designer born in 1967. He was global creative director of adidas until 2006 and then founded his own label in Berlin.
What did Michael Michalsky do at adidas?
He joined adidas in 1995 as chief designer and became global creative director in 2000, a period in which the brand developed collaborations with designers such as Yohji Yamamoto and Stella McCartney. His design team received a Red Dot award in 2005.