Sports brand adidas goes all liquid with Burkini billboard in Dubai

Dubai: The German sportswear brand adidas has unveiled the world’s first liquid billboard in Dubai, to show off its recent launch of a Burkini collection.

The liquid billboard is five-metre high and has a three-metre deep swimming pool made of reinforced transparent acrylic. Its walls can hold up to 11,500 gallons of water – or equivalent to nearly 163 bathtubs. The structure took a team of 32 people to build, working around the clock for three weeks to deliver.

“The recent launch of our diversified product offering for all women and our Burkini Collection,” said Amrith Gopinath, Senior Brand Director for adidas GCC.

The move aims to mark adidas’ drive to offer a wider choice of technical apparel for athletes everywhere, simultaneously inspiring confidence in women by offering a wide range of swimming suits. A YouGov survey commissioned by adidas in 2021 reveals that only 12 per cent of women in the UAE are completely comfortable wearing a swimsuit at a public beach or pool. Body shaming and a lack of privacy are the two main reasons women do not feel comfortable in their swimsuits.

Women in Dubai were invited to take participate by taking a dive in ‘Beyond the Surface’, reinforcing the brand’s global attempt to ensure that sport is welcoming for all. Triathlete Dareen Barbar, who is also a Guinness World Records title holder, as well as Raha Moharrak, the first Saudi Arabian female to climb Mount Everest, took part in the dive.