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Adidas
One of the biggest surprises in our list is the fact that sportswear brand Adidas has come in ahead of its arch rival Nike.
The two brands have been slugging it out for years and for a long while Nike has been the dominant force in terms of both innovation and appeal, with Adidas seeming to lose its way.
But the Hot List rankings confirm that Adidas is firmly back in the race, at least as far as our readers are concerned.
It seems the German brand's strategy of investing in design innovation is paying off: in 2014 it poached three footwear designers from its US rival and the following year told Dezeen it aimed to use design to conquer the US market.
The result has been a mixture of eye-catching new products and materials, notably a series of shoes made from recycled ocean plastic, including a collaboration with designer Alexander Taylor, which was our most popular post about the brand.
Besides product innovation, it was Adidas' celebrity tie-ups that drew traffic. Its collaboration with Pharrell Williams and Zaha Hadid was popular, as was the Rio Olympics 2016 kit for Team GB by Stella McCartney.
Top posts:
1. Adidas unveils sports shoes made from recycled ocean waste
2. Zaha Hadid and Pharrell Williams team up to launch trainers for Adidas
3. Adidas unveils Team GB kits for Rio 2016 by Stella McCartney
4. Adidas to release laceless knitted football boots in 2016
5. Adidas creates 3D-printed Futurecraft soles to mimic runners' footprints