Ralph Lauren celebrates Wimbledon with digital activations

Ralph Lauren is celebrating its 16th year as the official outfitter of the Wimbledon tennis championship with a new global campaign and a series of innovative digital activations and consumer experiences.

The campaign launches on June 22 and will feature a world-class group of athletes in a series of elegant portraits and films shot at The All England Lawn Tennis Club, including professional rugby player, Maro Itoje, Tottenham Hotspur and South Korean soccer player, Son Heung-min, principal dancer at The Royal Ballet, Francesca Hayward, and British Women’s surfing champion, Lucy Campbell.

Ralph Lauren is also partnering with one of the world’s leading entertainment and esports brands, G2 for the first time and has included G2 E-Sports League of Legends player, Rekkles in the campaign.

Alongside the campaign, Ralph Lauren is also rolling out a series of digital initiatives to bring the tennis grand slam to its customers’ homes. This includes a custom Wimbledon-themed Snapchat lens, which transforms the user into the iconic Ralph Lauren bear, wearing Wimbledon whites and playing on Centre Court, and an Instagram lens that will transport users to a Wimbledon-themed garden party, complete with florals, music and clinking glasses.

There will also be an immersive live streaming experience on Twitch on July 9 that will combine fashion, sport and music. European Twitch gaming talent, Syndicate will host a series of guests in a live segment that will include styling sessions, sports quizzes and match reviews, followed by a musical performance.

Ralph Lauren will also be transforming its New Bond Street flagship store in London into a Wimbledon-themed virtual shopping experience, allowing consumers to shop and interact with the store through a virtual portal, all from the comfort of their home.

The London store, alongside the Paris St. Germain flagship, will also live-stream tennis matches on screens displayed in the store’s windows. Customers will also be able to watch from the Ralph’s Coffee Pop-up, situated on the ground floor and terrace at New Bond Street, or from the Ralph’s Coffee Truck situated outside the St. Germain store, which will be offering Pimm’s and strawberries and cream throughout the tournament.

As the official outfitter of The Championships, Wimbledon, Ralph Lauren provides uniforms for all on-court officials. One of the highlights includes the ball person uniforms being made from yarn derived from recycled plastic bottles. The fabric also has functional performance features, like stretch, moisture-wicking properties and UV protection, all constructed for active play.

Off-court, Ralph Lauren is launching a commemorative apparel collection for men, women and children, with the luxury label donating 20 percent of the net purchase price from the capsule Wimbledon collection sold online and in-store in Europe to the Wimbledon Foundation, the charity of The All England Lawn Tennis Club.