Uniqlo makes Federer pieces available early after strong demand

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jul 16, 2018

Uniqlo’s signing of Roger Federer after the tennis champion ended his Nike deal certainly grabbed the headlines but it also had some analysts questioning whether the deal, rumoured to be valued at tens of millions of dollars, would be worth it for the Fast Retailing-owned chain.

But justification came on Friday as the retailer said it is starting advance sales of replica game wear worn by Federer at the Wimbledon Championships in its domestic market on the back of strong customer demand. 

The game wear set available for pre-order comprises five items: shirt, shorts, headband, wristband, and socks. Orders will be accepted at the firm’s Japanese webstore starting July 23, with delivery scheduled in late September to early October.

Uniqlo said “customers all around the world have inquired about Roger Federer game wear models since [its] announcement of its new Global Brand Ambassador.” 

The game wear for Wimbledon 2018 benefited from major media coverage globally as the company released the news just as Wimbledon was about to start. It was designed at the Uniqlo Paris R&D Center, led by Artistic Director Christophe Lemaire. It features another of the advanced tech materials in which the company specialises, Dry Ex, developed with Toray Industries to dry faster than ordinary dry-function material for greater comfort during play.