Yamaguchi, Japan, 2017-Jul-12 — /EPR Retail News/ — UNIQLO today ( 2017.07.10) announces Gordon Reid MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire)*, the world’s top** male professional wheelchair tennis player, Paralympics singles gold medalist as its latest Global Brand Ambassador. The appointment marks the first time UNIQLO has selected a British athlete for the global role.
Speaking of the appointment, Tadashi Yanai, Chairman, President and CEO of the UNIQLO parent company, Fast Retailing, said, “We are delighted that Mr. Reid joins us as the newest UNIQLO Global Brand Ambassador. Mr. Reid is a champion of great resilience and human character, overcoming adversity to triumph at the highest level of his sport. These are exactly the values we look for in our brand ambassadors, so it will be a great honor to see him compete in UNIQLO apparel at Wimbledon, where he made history as its first ever men’s singles wheelchair champion.
Yanai added, “We are also pleased to underline our commitment to the ITF (International Tennis Federation) and to wheelchair tennis. As one of the largest employers of people with disabilities in Japan, inclusion and respect are among our most important company values. UNIQLO is made for all, and we believe Mr. Reid will help us inspire people from all backgrounds to be their very best.”
Reid was also enthusiastic about the partnership, saying, “It’s a real privilege to be joining UNIQLO as part of such a great team of Global Brand Ambassadors. It is important that I am comfortable when training and competing and the superb quality and technology of UNIQLO apparel is the perfect fit. I look forward to representing the UNIQLO both on and off the court.”
Effective immediately, the partnership sees Reid promoting the UNIQLO brand and its signature LifeWear worldwide. UNIQLO will leverage Reid’s professional insight in product development, using its advanced proprietary clothing technologies to create apparel that supports Reid’s performance at the top level, while also bringing greater comfort and functionality to the everyday lives of its customers. Reid will also assist UNIQLO with global community engagement and support initiatives.
*An MBE is a British honor given to a person by Her Majesty The Queen for a special achievement
**Player rankings are as of July 10, 2017
About Gordon Reid MBE
Gordon was born on the October 2, 1991 in Alexandia, Scotland. In 2007, he became the youngest national wheelchair tennis champion in the UK aged just 15, and in the same year, he led the Great Britain junior team to win the World Team Cup. In 2016 Gordon won singles titles at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and won the coveted Gold medal at the Rio Paralympic games. He finished the year as world number one and was honored with an MBE. Gordon is ranked No.1* in the world singles rankings.
About the UNIQLO Global Brand Ambassador Program
UNIQLO partners with world-leading athletes to promote its brand and LifeWear globally. Reflecting core UNIQLO values, Global Brand Ambassadors embrace challenge in pursuit of the highest possible achievement. They are universally admired for their integrity and character, and for the optimism, respect and humility they demonstrate to all.
UNIQLO combines the expert professional insight of its Global Brand Ambassadors with its most advanced proprietary technologies, creating apparel that supports human performance at the highest level, while also bringing greater comfort and functionality to the everyday lives of its customers. In addition, UNIQLO works with its ambassadors to promote community engagement and development initiatives around the world.
The current UNIQLO Global Brand Ambassadors are Kei Nishikori (Tennis), Shingo Kunieda and Gordon Reid MBE (Wheelchair Tennis), Adam Scott (Golf) and Marin Minamiya (Mountaineering and Exploring).
Source: UNIQLO