Thomas Mace

VP Design football @ adidas

About

I lead design in Football at adidas, overseeing apparel, footwear, and hardware across one of the most competitive and culturally influential categories in sport.My focus is simple: create what’s next, not iterate on what exists.Football today sits at the intersection of performance, culture, and identity. The role of design is no longer just to deliver product, it is to define direction, build narratives, and shape how the game shows up on and off the pitch.I believe we are entering a new era where:AI accelerates creationAthletes become co-creatorsCulture moves faster than traditional product cyclesMy role is to build teams and systems that can operate at that speed, combining creative intuition, technological leverage, and a strong point of view.At adidas, I lead multidisciplinary teams across apparel, footwear, and hardware, driving concept development, product direction, and long-term creative strategy.Beyond the organization, I’m passionate about exploring how football design evolves through:athlete-driven collaborationnew creative tools and workflowsand a stronger connection between performance and cultural relevance

Country

Germany

City

Nuremberg

Industry

Sporting Goods

Skill

Creative Direction, Team Motivation, Brand Communication, Art Direction, Team Management, Product Innovation, Brand Awareness, Relationship Building, Leadership, Visual Communication, Team Leadership, Creative Strategy, Analytical Skills, Teamwork, Storytelling, Creative Design, Design Leadership, Communication, Adobe Photoshop, Technical Design

Experience

VP Design football

adidas

2025-2 - Present · 1 yr 8 mos

Herzogenaurach

Leading design across Football at adidas, covering Apparel, Footwear, and Hardware. Responsible for shaping creative direction across global categories, building high-performing teams, and driving the evolution of football product through a combination of performance innovation, cultural relevance, and new creative methodologies. Key focus areas: Defining future design direction across football product categories Integrating AI and new tools into creative workflows to accelerate concept development Strengthening athlete-driven design collaborations Building a culture of speed, clarity, and bold decision-making Operating at the intersection of sport, culture, and technology to ensure adidas Football remains at the forefront of the industry.

Senior Design Director football

adidas

2021-9 - 2025-2 · 3 yrs 6 mos

Herzogenaurach

Design director Football Footwear

adidas

2020-5 - 2021-10 · 1 yr 6 mos

Herzogenaurach, Bavaria

Lead footwear designer

PUMA Group

2018-6 - 2020-4 · 1 yr 11 mos

Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany

Building the design strategie with Creative director & the team. Spearheading the FUTURE & ULTRA team on all facette of the product (Creativity, innovation, material, colors, consummer feedback)

Senior Footwear Designer

PUMA Group

2015-3 - 2018-6 · 3 yrs 4 mos

Nürnberg Area, Germany

Footwear Designer

STILESENS Designers

2013-8 - 2015-2 · 1 yr 7 mos

Chambery

Footwear Agency working for brands such as : The North Face, Aigle, HOKA one one, Hanwag, Warrior, Quechua. Massive experience in technical / performance products. Sharing a great amount of knowledge with all kind of worldwide footwear brands.

Footwear designer

Le Coq Sportif

2011-12 - 2013-7 · 1 yr 8 mos

Paris Area, France

Great experience, working on Sport, Casual, Tennis & kids range in a classic direction. Learning plenty on materials, colors & graphic. Located in Paris close from our consumers.

junior Footwear Designer

adidas

2010-5 - 2011-12 · 1 yr 8 mos

Working for Adidas Original men lifestyle new designs. First experience about last, construction, processes, FOB, design DNA & vision. First steps in the footwear universe.