Roger Federer Is Now a Uniqlo Guy
Roger Federer is a Uniqlo guy now. As one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Federer has had his fair share of brand opportunities. In fact, he's been a Nike player for more than 20 years. But Federer is now Uniqlo's global brand ambassador, which means he'll be wearing the company's gear for all of this year's tournaments-starting, of course, with Wimbledon.
"Mr. Federer is one of the greatest champions in history; my respect for him goes beyond sport," says Uniqlo founder and chairman Tadashi Yanai. "Our partnership will be about innovation on and off court." There's a decent amount of speculation around specifics of the partnership. Mainly, people are wondering how many millions of dollars accompanied his departure from Nike. One thing's for sure though: This is big.
Seeing Federer step out onto the court in a full white Uniqlo 'fit is a surprise move from both the player and the brand. First, there's the refreshing look of the outfit itself-and not just because of the Wimbledon-required all-white colorway. The outfit was designed at Uniqlo's R&D Center in Paris, which is headed by artistic director Christophe Lemaire. And Lemaire, who also heads up an eponymous label as well as the Uniqlo U brand, is the perfect person for this kind of job. His attention to detail-a stand-up collar for Federer rather than a polo; burgundy making subtle but strategic appearances on the clothes-complements Federer's equally clean, sophisticated playing style.
And then there's the simple but all-important issue that Uniqlo itself addressed in announcing this partnership: In the brand's own words, "Uniqlo is not a sports company." Considering Federer is coming from the biggest sportswear brand in the world, this new partnership doesn't just represent a shift in stylistic preferences, but in the way the tennis star approaches his career and image. It'll be interesting to keep tabs on what happens next. Our hopes are high.
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