Adidas has unveiled the world’s first swimmable billboard on a beach in Dubai, to mark the launch of its new swimwear line.
According to a YouGov survey commissioned by Adidas in 2021, only 12 percent of women in the United Arab Emirates felt completely comfortable wearing a swimsuit at a public beach or pool. Body shame and lack of privacy were cited as two of the main reasons women do not feel comfortable in their swimsuits.
To tackle this issue and help women feel confident in swimwear, Adidas has created a new line of inclusive swimwear which includes a burkini collection.
As part of the launch, the brand erected a unique outdoor activation to spread awareness – a swimmable billboard. The structure was created out of reinforced transparent acrylic, and is five meters high, three meters deep and holds 11,500 gallons of water.
The billboard invited the women of Dubai to take a public ‘leap’ of faith and embrace the water. Amputee triathlete Dareen Barbar, who is also a Guinness World Records title holder, and Raha Moharrak, the first Saudi Arabian female to climb Mount Everest, took the public dive to inspire other women to do the same.
