The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
BEAVERTON, United States — Tennis star Naomi Osaka surprised industry watchers by signing an endorsement deal with Nike Inc., switching from the US sports brand's biggest rival, Adidas AG.
The sports world had been anticipating that Adidas would pay a record sum to renew a clothing endorsement with No. 1-ranked Osaka, who seized global media attention by defeating Serena Williams at the US Open last year. The Times of London had reported the winning bidder for Osaka’s clothing deal would pay about $8.5 million.
Nike, based in Beaverton, Oregon, didn’t disclose how much it paid or terms of the deal with Osaka in its statement on Thursday. The Japan-born tennis player is scheduled to wear Nike gear for the first time later this month at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix tournament in Stuttgart, Germany.
Global brands from Nissan Motor to Shiseido have signed with Osaka. Her high-profile win against Williams at the US Open launched Osaka into stardom as a new face with international appeal, especially for advertisers chasing younger, more diverse shoppers. Osaka’s mother is Japanese and her father is Haitian-American.
By Dave McCombs; editors: Rachel Chang, Jeff Sutherland and Reed Stevenson.
From analysis of the global fashion and beauty industries to career and personal advice, BoF’s founder and CEO, Imran Amed, will be answering your questions on Sunday, February 18, 2024 during London Fashion Week.
The State of Fashion 2024 breaks down the 10 themes that will define the industry in the year ahead.
Imran Amed reviews the most important fashion stories of the year and shares his predictions on what this means for the industry in 2024.
After three days of inspiring talks, guests closed out BoF’s gathering for big thinkers with a black tie gala followed by an intimate performance from Rita Ora — guest starring Billy Porter.