Uniqlo or has ON won the battle?

R

Robert F

Hall of Fame
Seems like Uniqlo has disappeared from tennis.
Supposedly Fed has until 2028 with Uniqlo.
Yet seems he does more stuff for ON (I know he is part owner), but I haven't really seen any new Uniqlo.
Also on top of that on the pro tour I see athletes in ON--but no one in Uniqlo?

I wonder if Uniqlo feels the tennis market just wasn't rewarding enough to continue to invest???
Is Fed giving them the cold shoulder?
 
They only had Fed and Nishikori and only the latter is left. Or is he? They bought them as a gateway to their wider offerings, which include sports utility clothing.

On is a sports company pure and simple.
 
You guys sure have lots of time to sometime write nonsense threads imo.

Anyway, Uniqlo hasn’t really disappeared from tennis cause they don’t have many if not, no players signed with them. Plus, Uniqlo is a clothing company (like Gap, H&M for example) they aren’t a sportswear company so no need to market that part. Idk if you remember but Fed signed a deal with them not only for tennis related things but on the casual side too. Modeling for their clothes outside of tennis so he’s definitely not giving them the cold shoulder
 
David Le said:
You guys sure have lots of time to sometime write nonsense threads imo.

Anyway, Uniqlo hasn’t really disappeared from tennis cause they don’t have many if not, no players signed with them. Plus, Uniqlo is a clothing company (like Gap, H&M for example) they aren’t a sportswear company so no need to market that part. Idk if you remember but Fed signed a deal with them not only for tennis related things but on the casual side too. Modeling for their clothes outside of tennis so he’s definitely not giving them the cold shoulder
Click to expand...
Of course I have time. Thanks for commenting to our nonsense.

Anyways, I just thought Fed made this big deal with Uniqlo and from my perspective seems he isn't really lifting that brand anymore.
I went to the Uniqlo website and I didn't find any Fed related gear or promotions. No real mention of tennis.
So it seemed like an odd match up. If Nike was able to keep Fed, I imagine he'd still have a featured clothing line with them that is better than most the stuff they are selling now.

It seems that maybe they were going to dive into tennis and decided to redirect their efforts else where. I mean they had Djoker, then upgraded to Fed and Nishikori was great for them. But nobody now.
I wonder if that is bad news for tennis that other brands don't want to use ti to market?
 
socallefty said:
I was once in one of their biggest stores in Tokyo and they didn‘t have any Federer images. Made me wonder why they signed a huge contract with him if they don’t use him in their marketing even in the local market.
Click to expand...
Agree, I've been to the store in Orlando, which is a decent size store and same deal. No Fed imaging, no tennis, you'd think they hadn't signed a massive deal with a massive sports icon.
 
big ted said:
uniqlo has the RF symbol. theyll be fine.
theyll prob make their money back with just the hats alone lol
Click to expand...
Fed has the RF and he licenses it to UniClueless. And you can't even buy a hat on the website anymore. Ask me how much Fed merch I've ever seen in the local Qlo store. They had a few hats when they were first rolled out. Nothing since. Shirts? No. Socks? Nope. Shorts? Forget it.
 
It just seems weird. Not sure they are getting anything out of the deal now.
Again my guess is the didn't get as big of a response from the tennis market by diving into it.

I used to see some people with Uniqlo shorts, no longer.

And even if they wanted Fed not for tennis but as a personality, doesn't seem like that has been utilized at all either.
 
socallefty said:
I was once in one of their biggest stores in Tokyo and they didn‘t have any Federer images. Made me wonder why they signed a huge contract with him if they don’t use him in their marketing even in the local market.
Click to expand...

maybe his short comeback has something to do with it & they prob thought he'd be on tour a couple more years
 
David Le said:
You guys sure have lots of time to sometime write nonsense threads imo.

Anyway, Uniqlo hasn’t really disappeared from tennis cause they don’t have many if not, no players signed with them. Plus, Uniqlo is a clothing company (like Gap, H&M for example) they aren’t a sportswear company so no need to market that part. Idk if you remember but Fed signed a deal with them not only for tennis related things but on the casual side too. Modeling for their clothes outside of tennis so he’s definitely not giving them the cold shoulder
Click to expand...
Why answer then?
 
big ted said:
maybe his short comeback has something to do with it & they prob thought he'd be on tour a couple more years
Click to expand...
Part of it. But I think they were hoping to build something bigger based on a 10 year contract because we know he wasn't going to play until 2028.
 
I’m shooting in the dark, but I’m guessing Uniqlo:
1. Overestimated the size of the tennis market
2. Banked on Federer’s future success which didn’t really occur (career plateaued/declined quickly after the deal)
3. Didn’t have a long-term strategy for their place in the athletic market, and how signing Fed would play into that

I get the sense this was a random exec’s dream to sign Federer and they hired consultants to tell them it was a good idea. It probably broke even, and after that they decided further investment wasn’t worth it
 
well im not superstitious but he never won GS title wearing Uniqlo did he? and also overheated in it when they closed the roof at the USO :oops:
 
As long as Uniqlo has any of their ambassadors wearing their casual clothing, they're still have them promoting and consumers buying. I still consider it a win.

www.uniqlo.com

UNIQLO Global Brand Ambassadors｜UNIQLO

A special site for "UNIQLO Global Ambassadors". Here you can find the latest information of competitive clothing that our Ambassadors, Roger Federer (Pro Tennis Player), Kei Nishikori (Pro Tennis Player), Shingo Kunieda (Pro Wheelchair Tennis Player), Gordon Reid (Pro Wheelchair Tennis Player)...
www.uniqlo.com
 
innoVAShaun said:
As long as Uniqlo has any of their ambassadors wearing their casual clothing, they're still have them promoting and consumers buying. I still consider it a win.

www.uniqlo.com

UNIQLO Global Brand Ambassadors｜UNIQLO

A special site for "UNIQLO Global Ambassadors". Here you can find the latest information of competitive clothing that our Ambassadors, Roger Federer (Pro Tennis Player), Kei Nishikori (Pro Tennis Player), Shingo Kunieda (Pro Wheelchair Tennis Player), Gordon Reid (Pro Wheelchair Tennis Player)...
www.uniqlo.com
Click to expand...
Again kind of poor marketing that if you go to the main site there doesn't seem to be an easy way to get there.
I haven't seen any of these guys photos in the store.

Maybe I'm too low of class to be marketed too by the Global Brand Ambassador.

Or maybe the marketing is bigger in Asia? and just my ignorance?
But it seems other posters noted nothing in the Japanese stores.
 
Chairman3 said:
Agree, I've been to the store in Orlando, which is a decent size store and same deal. No Fed imaging, no tennis, you'd think they hadn't signed a massive deal with a massive sports icon.
Click to expand...
When I visited the Chicago store in August they had this small rack of Federer-endorsed luxury sportswear. Not sure how else to describe it. I really like their athletic shirts for the money, but the stuff with Fed's name on it was more expensive. Probably objectively nicer pieces, but sticker price was approaching Nike levels, and I'm not sure who would go for that. I think I saw a pic or two of him but it mostly was other models wearing his stuff.

My inability to find these pieces online makes me think that Chicago store is just waiting to get rid of those items and Uniqlo is moving on.
 
Uniqlo signed Roger and didn’t put out any decent RF merch. The cap came on but it was way too late when Rg got the logo back from Nike. If they sign him at that price you d think they have some sort of plan but No. they literally did nothing. The new rf stuff are sub par and sold out everywhere.
 
Robert F said:
Of course I have time. Thanks for commenting to our nonsense.

Anyways, I just thought Fed made this big deal with Uniqlo and from my perspective seems he isn't really lifting that brand anymore.
I went to the Uniqlo website and I didn't find any Fed related gear or promotions. No real mention of tennis.
So it seemed like an odd match up. If Nike was able to keep Fed, I imagine he'd still have a featured clothing line with them that is better than most the stuff they are selling now.

It seems that maybe they were going to dive into tennis and decided to redirect their efforts else where. I mean they had Djoker, then upgraded to Fed and Nishikori was great for them. But nobody now.
I wonder if that is bad news for tennis that other brands don't want to use ti to market?
Click to expand...

In my view, they never really marketed Federer to the extent that they could have. Why was there never a Federer collection of tennis and "lifestyle" clothing?

I don't think Nike had enough interest in tennis to keep Federer. It seems like other brands like Lululemon, On, Lacoste, etc. are going into tennis more. It sounds crazy, but I wonder if Alcaraz will stick with Nike long-term.
 
jimdontcare said:
When I visited the Chicago store in August they had this small rack of Federer-endorsed luxury sportswear. Not sure how else to describe it. I really like their athletic shirts for the money, but the stuff with Fed's name on it was more expensive. Probably objectively nicer pieces, but sticker price was approaching Nike levels, and I'm not sure who would go for that. I think I saw a pic or two of him but it mostly was other models wearing his stuff.

My inability to find these pieces online makes me think that Chicago store is just waiting to get rid of those items and Uniqlo is moving on.
Click to expand...
Are you talking about "JW Anderson"? That stuff wasn't online very long, and it was deep discounted at that.
 
Nike messed up with Federer. They made great-looking apparel and shoes for him that would have kept selling even after Fed retired. Other players on tour would have rocked Federer-branded Nike gear, the same way NBA players (still) wear Air Jordans. That classy RF logo just doesn't match with the Uniqlo brand, sorry.
 
Alexh22 said:
Uniqlo signed Roger and didn’t put out any decent RF merch. The cap came on but it was way too late when Rg got the logo back from Nike. If they sign him at that price you d think they have some sort of plan but No. they literally did nothing. The new rf stuff are sub par and sold out everywhere.
Click to expand...
Their hats are so bad in quality and I still buy them, just for the logo
 
Robert F said:
Of course I have time. Thanks for commenting to our nonsense.

Anyways, I just thought Fed made this big deal with Uniqlo and from my perspective seems he isn't really lifting that brand anymore.
I went to the Uniqlo website and I didn't find any Fed related gear or promotions. No real mention of tennis.
So it seemed like an odd match up. If Nike was able to keep Fed, I imagine he'd still have a featured clothing line with them that is better than most the stuff they are selling now.

It seems that maybe they were going to dive into tennis and decided to redirect their efforts else where. I mean they had Djoker, then upgraded to Fed and Nishikori was great for them. But nobody now.
I wonder if that is bad news for tennis that other brands don't want to use ti to market?
Click to expand...

I think honestly Uniqlo never tried to be a tennis company. They made bare minimum outfits for Fed and Kei and it’s lucky they even sold them. Mainly they want to promote their regular non sports clothes
 
I'm also amazed a lot of fitness oriented brands haven't tried to break into the tennis market with so many players, you think you could grab a top 100 player and have them wear your gear.
 
brinkeguthrie said:
Really? I have three; red, navy, and black; they look and fit perfect. And their regular sweatshirts, sweatpants, and socks are the best. Especially at their price point.
Click to expand...
I guess everyone has personal preferences on fit. Both hats I bought came with the front panel deformed, and I had to wear them extensively to break them in. I also don’t like how quickly sweat stains set in, even when worn casually. The Nike RF hats had much better shape and was moisture wicking. I can’t comment on sweatshirts, but I didn’t like the sweatpants either, even though the fit was decent. The material didn’t feel soft like a good mid weight fleece should.
 
Look at all the money Saudi Arabia just paid Nadal to turn up for the day and call him an Ambassador.

Uniqlo made that sort of "trophy wife purchase" with Federer. The task is not just to sell, but to give the brand an aura.
 
Bartelby said:
Look at all the money Saudi Arabia just paid Nadal to turn up for the day and call him an Ambassador.

Uniqlo made that sort of "trophy wife purchase" with Federer. The task is not just to sell, but to give the brand an aura.
Click to expand...
That's it, right there. Still think it would be cool to have an On|RF line of tenniswear.
 
Bartelby said:
Look at all the money Saudi Arabia just paid Nadal to turn up for the day and call him an Ambassador.

Uniqlo made that sort of "trophy wife purchase" with Federer. The task is not just to sell, but to give the brand an aura.
Click to expand...
But did it give it an aura? Maybe for 2 years? And maybe that is worth it.
Just seems with a 10 year contract they would've done more with it.
Seems like all of us would be hungry for a Fed based clothing line.
Seems weird.

My guest is after 2028, we'll see Fed in ON gear and maybe his own line. My guess going back to some simple classic looks.
 
I've been trying for years to get a Fed shirt or Kei outfit but they are never available.
After a while, people just give up and grow resentful of the company. It is awful marketing strategy/
How hard can it be to produce a few shirts?
:unsure:

Screenshot-2024-01-21-030641.png
 
Better_Call_Raul said:
I've been trying for years to get a Fed shirt or Kei outfit but they are never available.
After a while, people just give up and grow resentful of the company. It is awful marketing strategy/
How hard can it be to produce a few shirts?
:unsure:

Screenshot-2024-01-21-030641.png
Click to expand...
I have 4 of those Fed t-shirts. They’re very baggy and boxy, but I guess the 90s style of baggy is trending nowadays. It’s still ugly to me though, so you’re definitely not missing out.
 
Uniqlo t-shirts, to me, aren't long enough. I have a white and a black RF, and they fit OK, but I'd prefer a little more length. They've never gotten USA sizing right.In stores, you can buy an XS. An Extra Small!! Who wears that!
 
Earlier today I went to collect my order and saw this image of their ambassadors.

https://imgur.com/a/LAyAAWW

My only complain is the image placement: it's next to click & collect/alteration/self-checkout counter. To the right is a staff room and to the left is... socks display shelf.

Should've put it closer to the "sport utility wear" (Dry-Ex, Airism, Heattech stuffs) section.

This is in Malaysia (1 Utama) if it matters (I'm not sure if the stores in Kuala Lumpur have this image).
 
Last edited:
For the Chinese market that I'm familiar with, anything with RF on it will sell (out) almost instantly. If Uniqlo came out with a new Federer kit every month it would sell out every month. Not sure why they're not utilizing one of their biggest IPs.
 
Robert F said:
Seems like Uniqlo has disappeared from tennis.
Supposedly Fed has until 2028 with Uniqlo.
Yet seems he does more stuff for ON (I know he is part owner), but I haven't really seen any new Uniqlo.
Also on top of that on the pro tour I see athletes in ON--but no one in Uniqlo?

I wonder if Uniqlo feels the tennis market just wasn't rewarding enough to continue to invest???
Is Fed giving them the cold shoulder?
Click to expand...
ON has penetrated the Pro market and endorsements much much better mainly due to Uniqlo's lack of interest.

but i did buy some of the Tshirts from ON and it is very high quality material and very nice shirt. i do understand though its not something people will just pick up due to high prices.

ON-RUNNING-Male-Adult-M-1MD10540069-White_77573df4-6085-490a-8d1d-4cbd7f387b91.6b31e78a8bb7caccb3a949cb944f4b21.jpeg
 
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