The Warriors are “losing a jersey patch sponsor” in Rakuten, though the company “will extend its partnership” with the team, according to Ron Leuty of the S.F. BUSINESS TIMES. The team “didn’t say if it has another patch sponsor lined up.” Rakuten’s logo has appeared on Warriors jerseys since 2017, with the $20M per year deal part of an international push by the team that “capitalized on the team’s popularity in Asia.” It also included naming rights to the Warriors’ practice facility in Oakland before the team’s move to Chase Center in 2019. With that, Rakuten “gained massive national exposure at the zenith of the Warriors dynasty.” The partnership has included Rakuten sponsoring the game-day player tunnel walk feature, called Rakuten Arrivals, as well as the Warriors Women’s Empowerment efforts every March and a “discount for Rakuten members who make purchases at the Golden State Shop.” Those tunnel walk presenting and women’s empowerment presenting sponsorships and the shopping discount “will continue with the new deal” (S.F. BUSINESS TIMES, 6/18).
CIRCULAR FASHION: FAST COMPANY’s Hauwa Otori notes the Warriors’ and Rakuten’s solution to the “stockpile of old jerseys” left behind is to “mix these old jerseys with premium materials like genuine leather to create upcycled pieces made available” to fans as part of a limited collection called the “Warriors Golden Legacy Collection.” The collection, accessible by fans who are Rakuten members from June 18–25 via a sweepstakes, includes “one leather jacket, two duffle bags, 10 denim jackets, 10 clear purses, and 35 bucket hats” (FAST COMPANY, 6/18).
