Squash players models for Louis Vuitton for a good cause
By Alex Wan – Squash Mad Asian Bureau Editor
Nicol David and five other PSA women’s players swapped court shoes for heels in a campaign with Louis Vuitton and UNICEF.
This is the second wave of the #MakeAPromise campaign by Nicol David with the French designer brand, having first collaborated with former Miss Malaysia Universe Deborah Henry in February this year.
Along with Nicol, Malaysian number two Delia Arnold, New Zealand’s Joelle King, England’s Jenny Duncalf, Egypt’s Omneya Abdel Kawy and India’s Joshna Chinappa starred in this photoshoot for the campaign, which aims to raise funds for UNICEF and support children who are exposed to conflict, diseases, natural disasters and other situations that threaten their safety and well-being.
A specially designed Silver Lockit bracelet and necklace is on sale at all Louis Vuitton boutiques worldwide and on their website, where US$ 200 will be donated to UNICEF for each sale.
The ladies, who are all in Kuala Lumpur participating in the ongoing SRAM Women’s Squash Invitational Tournament 2016, clearly had fun judging from their social media posts.
Delia Arnold, the world number 18 from Kuala Lumpur said,
“It’s a privilege to be able to work with such a big household name in Louis Vuitton and it’s even extra special that we ae able to showcase and represent our sport on such a big stage.
To be part of something good is always a nice feeling. There are many kids out there who have no access to basic essentials which many of us take for granted. So for me to be able to give back to the community and be part of this great initiative with UNICEF, it is truly an honour.
Apart from that, it’s also a very nice change for us girls to get all dolled up and be mingling together in a different light. We are always competing against each other and here, we are working together for a greater good. I definitely had lots of fun and I am pretty sure the other girls too.”
Nicol David, the world number four said to Buro 247, a Malaysian online fashion portal:
“At the beginning, this was an initiative that was similar with what I’ve done for United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) which I am a Goodwill Ambassador for. It’s nice to see how the collaboration with Louis Vuitton is a great way to reach out to underprivileged kids who need support. Hopefully we can create more awareness with this #MakeAPromise campaign, and especially with this second round that features these top international players who are in town for one week.
We thought it would be a good idea to have these squash players from four different countries in this photoshoot. It’s really exciting to be associated with this campaign, and at the same time, having support from fellow top squash players.”
Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Joelle King had this to say :
“I don’t think any of us are used to doing something like this—taking off our sweaty sportswear and having hair and makeup done, I think I barely recognise myself!
But we’re doing it for a good cause and it’s great to hang out together and not competing against each other. Doing something fun and girly like this is always nice, so we’re all feeling quite pampered today.”
This is not the first time squash is being involved with UNICEF, as the World Squash Day, an annual initiative held all around the world to promote the sport, has been raising funds for the body since 2015. Amongst the events held are online auctions and sales of autographed merchandise.
Â
Pictures from Buro 247