An undated photo shows British tennis player Jack Draper. After years of wearing Nike apparel, Draper has signed on as a global brand ambassador for Vuori. Photo: The New York Times
Jack Draper, the British tennis star (and occasional model), is no stranger to changing up his look. He describes himself as a bit of a chameleon.
He will be “clean and cut” and “smart” one day, he said, and then a bit “ragged” the next. And he has routinely turned his hair into a canvas for self-expression.
But in recent weeks, as he slipped into some threads from Vuori, an apparel brand based in California, Draper acknowledged that it felt strange.
As one of the top young players in the game, Draper, 23, had practically grown up wearing Nike, a longtime sponsor.
“You’re used to seeing yourself a certain way, and now other people are seeing you differently, too,” he said in a recent interview.
“That sort of makes them curious: ‘What’s this brand?’”
In a move that coincides with Draper’s appearance at the US Open this month, Vuori announced its new, multiyear partnership with him as a global brand ambassador.
As a part of the deal, Draper will have his own signature line.
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For Vuori, outfitting someone like Draper in his on-court attire represents a bold leap into the world of high-level professional sports – a departure from its reputation as an athleisure brand.
Joe Kudla, Vuori’s founder and CEO, described working with Draper, who is ranked number five in the world, as a “fairy-tale dream”.
But Kudla also sees it as a natural next step for the company.
“We didn’t launch a tennis collection and then go into tennis,” Kudla said in an interview. “Tennis players started adopting our products, and we realised that there was a really strong alignment.”
The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Kudla said his hope was that Vuori’s new partnership with Draper would give the brand more technical credibility while growing its global brand awareness.
In October, Vuori opened its first international flagship store outside of the US, on Regent Street in London.
“I think there’s a real creative element to what they do,” Draper said. “And I’ve always been someone who likes to have my own style, who likes to be my own person.”
Unlike many team sports, in which athletes wear uniforms, tennis players can generally wear what they want.
“It is quite an essential part of an athlete’s journey, because it’s our kit,” said Draper, whose contract with Nike expired last month.
Before his deal with Vuori began to come together, Draper had only a passing familiarity with the brand.
His brother, Ben, had worn some items from Vuori, Draper said, and he thought they were cool, but that was about the extent of it.
“I think a lot of people, especially in the UK market, they don’t hear a lot about them,” Draper said, adding, “That’s the thing with Vuori. It’s something different that people haven’t seen before.”
As for Draper’s signature line, Kudla told him he would have access to Vuori’s full suite of designers and developers, and, of course, to Kudla himself – an entrepreneur who founded the company in 2015.
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“Tennis has always been very influential at that intersection of sport and style,” Kudla said. “And Jack himself is actually right at the centre of that.”
With his boyish good looks, Draper has starred in Burberry campaigns, been featured in fashion magazines and become friends with the likes of Anna Wintour, Vogue’s global editor.
Wintour, an avid tennis fan, was rooting for Draper at last year’s US Open, where he made the semifinals.
Draper said he had already informed Wintour of his move to Vuori.
“She was incredibly excited for me,” he said. – ©2025 The New York Times Company
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
