NEW YORK — In its search for the next Venus Williams, Reebok has signed on two athletes: tennis player Nicole Vaidisova and skateboarder Stevie Williams.
The multiyear partnership with 25-year-old Williams marks Reebok’s first foray into skateboarding. The deal includes the creation of a line of skateboarding footwear and apparel that will be sold initially for men starting next fall under the label DGK (Dirty Ghetto Kids), the name used for Williams’ skateboards.
DGK will be part of Reebok’s fast-growing Rbk division that houses its collaborative lines with sports and entertainment figures such as Pharrell Williams, Alan Iverson and 50 Cent.
“Stevie represents the type of authenticity and individuality that Rbk stands for,” said Dennis Baldwin, Reebok’s chief marketing officer.
The DGK line will be sold at specialty skateboard and footwear stores starting next fall, and will be accompanied by a global marketing campaign.
Skateboarding has grown in popularity and now has more than 11 million participants, according to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association International.
The 15-year-old Vaidisova won the Vancouver Women’s Open tennis championship earlier this year and is ranked number 75 in the world. The tall, blonde-haired Czech native trains in the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida — the same place where Wimbeldon winner Maria Sharapova got her start — and will star in upcoming marketing campaigns for Reebok apparel and footwear.
The company’s nearly decade-long sponsorship of Venus Williams ended earlier this year. Her reported $40 million contract was one of the largest ever signed with a female athlete, and she was featured in numerous ads and campaigns for the athletic giant. Reebok did not disclose the terms of the new celebrity contracts.
The $3.49 billion Canton, Mass., company also said it has signed a deal with the Australian Open and will be the official footwear supplier of the tennis event.