Uniqlo aligns with top wheelchair tennis player

Uniqlo has named Gordon Reid, the world’s top wheelchair tennis player, as a global brand ambassador. Born in Scotland, Reid became the UK's youngest wheelchair tennis champion at the age of 15. He is a Paralympics gold medalist and Wimbledon’s first men’s singles wheelchair champion.

Reid will promote the Uniqlo brand and the LifeWear trademark. He will also advise on product development and play a role in Uniqlo’s community engagement initiatives.

In a statement Tadashi Yanai, the president and CEO of parent company Fast Retailing, called Reid “a champion of great resilience” whose values align with those of its other ambassadors. They include Shingo Kunieda, who is also a wheelchair tennis player; Kei Nishikori; Adam Scott; and Marin Minamiya, who became Uniqlo’s first female global brand ambassador last year.

Campaign’s view: It’s encouraging to see Uniqlo continuing to align with a diverse range of athletes. Japanese society would benefit from greater inclusiveness, and homegrown brands like this can play an important role in promoting it ahead of the 2020 Olympics. In general though, we hope to see more brands globally engage with and support disabled athletes, not because they are disabled, but because they deserve the same level of recognition for their achievements as fully able-bodied athletes.