Oakley recently released the much hyped Be Who You Are inspirational film just in time for the Tokyo Olympics July 23 opening ceremony, where they are appearing on the sidelines as the official eyewear sponsor for Team South Africa.
Narrated by US rapper and rapper Action Bronson, the film features some of the world’s biggest athletes, including eight-time paralympic medalist Oksana Masters, New York Mets’ Francisco Lindor, American BMX athlete Nigel Sylvester and the NFL quarterback top player Patrick Mahomes, who previously collaborated with Oakley on his own signature eyewear collection.
This time his role was to assist in informing the development and design of a product, 45 years in the making. The end result came in the form of a brand-new, all-sport Kato design range set to be worn by approximately 1,000 Team Oakley athletes during the pandemic delayed games.
You don’t have to look exactly the way that everyone wants to look … be who you are.
Patrick Mahomes
In the clip, Mahomes could be heard talking about how shy he was as a kid off the field. “I would hide by mom when I got introduced to people…but on the field you could see my personality.”
In line with the campaign’s rousing theme about the importance of self-love, he further encourages fans to strive be their true self, adding, “you don’t have to look exactly the way that everyone wants to look … be who you are”.
The film was first launched alongside an international social movement which sees members of Team Oakley athletes set to compete on the world’s biggest stage in Tokyo, including Andre de Grasse, Italo Ferreira, Hideki Matsuyama and more.
The supporting campaign, part of which will be shared across the company’s global digital channels as a build up to Tokyo Olympics, features the athletes challenging their followers to share the things that inspire and encourage them be the best version of themselves.
Explaining the inspiration behind the campaign, Oakley’s global brand director Caio Amato said it’s essentially to “empower people around the world to believe in themselves, to follow their gut, and to embrace this uniqueness to achieve their own greatness.”
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