Reebok acquires clothing brand Luta as part of Fight for Peace partnership
Reebok has partnered with Fight for Peace, acquiring its fashion brand Luta in the process, as part of its latest drive to establish itself as a socially responsible organisation.
Fight for Peace was established by Luke Dowdney in Rio de Janeiro and London and combines boxing and martial arts training with education and personal development in an effort to help young people in communities affected by crime and violence. Today, in addition to the two branded academies, the training programme has rolled out to over 100 community centres in over 27 countries and helps over 100,000 people.
Meanwhile, the Luta clothing brand was set up to directly support Fight for Peace, donating half of its sales profits to the organisation.
Speaking to The Drum, Reebok president Matt O’Toole said that Fight for Peace's proposition mirrors Reebok’s new brand positioning, helping people be their best through fitness.
“Luke has dedicated his life to the idea that through training, people could create a better version of themselves and be healthy and successful members of the community,” he said.
“Reebok has this long heritage that started the Reebok Foundation which was set up to really celebrate people who were standing up for human rights around the world and that mission continues with Fight for Peace. It’s a great vehicle to get the social aspect of our brand out there.”
O’Toole declined to comment on how much has been invested, but the Luta brand will continue as a standalone operation – although the future of the e-commerce site is unclear – and continue to dedicate half of its profits to the charity.
“We want to deliver even more value to Fight for Peace that Luda was able to,” he said.
In the coming months, Reebok will embark on a global awareness drive to tell the story of Fight For Peace.
“Our job is to be a force multiplier. There are some people who know what Fight for Peace is, but not enough. We want to make sure that there’s a high level of awareness and get more programmes started around the world.”
O’Toole said that this will involve brand ambassadors – Olympic boxing champion Nicola Adams is a supporter of the charity – although declined to go into further details.
“One of the things you can expect is that it’s not going to be some niche thing on the side, we’re really going to embrace it as a brand. So it’s not too out of the realm to think that celebrities or professionals will help tell our story and promote Fight for Peace. We have more news to come,” he said.