UNIQLO and Gordon Reid Bring “The Heart of LifeWear” to Rotterdam

Mar 11, 2025 Heart of LifeWear
During the 2024 Autumn/Winter season, UNIQLO launched "The Heart of LifeWear", a new initiative to donate one million items of HEATTECH thermal clothing to people around the world facing difficult situations, including refugees, children with disabilities, and disaster victims, with the aim of making their lives a little easier.

As part of the The Heart of LifeWear initiative, UNIQLO Global Brand Ambassador and professional wheelchair tennis player Gordon Reid met with 11 children and their caregivers on Sunday 9 February, at the ABN-AMRO Open 2025 Tennis Tournament in Ahoy, Rotterdam.

Professional wheelchair tennis player Gordon Reid

To start the day, participants were invited to watch the men’s and women’s finals. The kids were then welcomed by Gordon Reid himself in a special follow-up session, where participants had a unique opportunity to play tennis with the two-time Paralympic gold medalist. Mr. Reid also presented HEATTECH items to the participants, followed by a group picture moment.

Professional wheelchair tennis player Gordon Reid

The 11 children came from two schools in Rotterdam, the Recon school and Mytylschool ‘de Brug'. Both schools provide education and support for children with physical or intellectual disabilities and/or long-term illnesses. Some of the children had never seen a tennis court before, and some described the afternoon with Gordon Reid as one of the best in their lives. As soon as the first few participants started to hit some balls with Gordon Reid, others watching from the side, who were shy at first, soon also wanted to participate and assisted together as ball kids, running for quick retrieval of loose balls and delivery of the balls to the servers.

At the weekend’s event, UNIQLO also committed to donating 1,000 pieces of new HEATTECH to the Cruyff Foundation, a partner organisation to the schools of the participating kids, which was instrumental in making their day with Mr. Reid possible.

Professional wheelchair tennis player Gordon Reid

Speaking at the event, Mr. Reid said:
“I had a wonderful time connecting with the kids during the ABN AMRO tournament. Being able to play tennis with some of them and to connect over our shared passion for sports, hearing their dreams and visions for their future, has been very inspiring and an experience I will not forget. With the HEATTECH donation we hope to bring warmth and comfort in their lives during these colder months and outdoor activities. The partnership with UNIQLO proves that sport connects people from various cultures and backgrounds.’’

UNIQLO, together with its Global Brand Ambassadors, will continue its donations of HEATTECH and other clothing around the world this winter, as part of The Heart of LifeWear initiative.




This clothing donation is part of the “What Makes Life Better?” initiative.
For more information, see: https://www.uniqlo.com/whatmakeslifebetter

PEACE FOR ALL
たった1枚のTシャツにも、平和のためにできることがある。
https://www.uniqlo.com/peace-for-all/

ALL HEATTECH
WOMEN
https://www.uniqlo.com/us/en/women/heattech

MEN
https://www.uniqlo.com/us/en/men/heattech

KIDS
https://www.uniqlo.com/us/en/kids/heattech