Jack Draper’s rise to the top of men’s tennis has seen him sport the iconic, clean look of Nike since his days as a junior up until his Wimbledon bow and historic Indian Wells Open victory.
But all of that has changed last month when his Nike deal expired and not only did he switch brands, but Draper took the decision to enter the unknown as the face of Vuori’s venture into tennis.
Draper has been a trend-setter and has found his career entwined with fashion, notably through his deal with Burberry and a recent campaign alongside model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, while Vogue’s global editor Anna Wintour is a fan.
Enter Vuori and the latest opportunity for a tennis player to pursue one of the non-traditional brands of the sport, with the apparel brand based in California identifying the world No 5 as the face of their new tennis line.
“You’re used to seeing yourself a certain way, and now other people are seeing you differently, too,” Draper said, with the launch off to a fine start in the controversial US Open mixed doubles and a place in the final four on Wednesday. “That sort of makes them curious: ‘What’s this brand?’”
Draper unveiled his new look at the US Open in the mixed doubles on Tuesday, partnering up with Jessica Pegula, and the No 1 seeds, due to their combined singles rankings, swept into the semi-finals, with victories over Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu first, then Daniil Medvedev and Mirra Andreeva in the quarter-finals.
Draper will even have his own signature line in a deal that Joe Kudla, Vuori’s founder and chief executive, has described as a “fairy-tale dream.”
From an athleisure brand to leading apparel for one of the best athletes in the world, Vuori appealed to Draper due to their “creativity”.
Draper explained: “I think there’s a real creative element to what they do. And I’ve always been someone who likes to have my own style, who likes to be my own person. It is quite an essential part of an athlete’s journey, because it’s our kit.”
While Nike still retain some of the best players in the world, including Jannik Sinner, Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka, Draper’s move is in line with players pushing for greater commercial flexibility and he could also pursue campaigns that are more closely aligned with his own personal brand and style, which have become so distinctive in recent years.
The deal was helped by Draper’s brother, Ben, who was familiar with the brand, who will offer the 23-year-old full access to designers and developers to shape his look for years to come.
“I think a lot of people, especially in the U.K. market, they don’t hear a lot about them,” Draper added. “That’s the thing with Vuori. It’s something different that people haven’t seen before.”
Draper is the latest in a trend of players leaving the swoosh, with Taylor Fritz partnering up with BOSS and Frances Tiafoe linking up with Lululemon.
The landscape has changed over the last decade in tennis, with more brands breaking into the industry, including Roger Federer and his venture with On, who sponsor Ben Shelton and Iga Swiatek, following a $50m investment for a three percent equity stake in the company in 2019.
