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Rachel Sing

Blair McDonald

Media Kit on Gymshark

Main News Release

Gymshark and Nikki Blackketter Release Clothing Line Collaboration

There hasn’t been an official launch date for the line to hit the online market just yet, but for die hard Nikki B and Gymshark fans there will be a pop up shop event happening at 10AM, on March 25, 2017 at 27 Mercer Street, New York City.

The Gymshark clothing line has become highly popular in the fitness world, especially their “flex leggings”, which seem to be always sold out. Gymshark fanatics have been anticipating a collaboration with one of their athletes and Nikki Blackketter is the first.

Nikki has been a Gymshark athlete for a while and has gained a lot of success because of Gymshark. She is inspired by their vision and passed this on to millions of people around the world.

The Gymshark brand was created in 2012 by 19-year-old Ben Francis. What was once just screen printing in a garage, is now a highly successful fitness apparel and accessories brand. The Gymshark vision is: “Before there is an action, there is an idea. We exist to create the tools that help people unlock their full, incredible potential and put their ideas into action. Be all that you imagined you could be. Be a visionary”.

The entire Gymshark family is very excited for this upcoming launch and we can not wait for you all to see what we have been working on!

For more information on Gymshark or how to get in contact with us please email us at:

MEDIA & PRESS PRESS@GYMSHARK.COM

BUSINESS ENQUIRIES CORPORATE@GYMSHARK.COM

FOR ALL SPONSORSHIP ENQUIRIES PLEASE EMAIL SPONSORSHIP@GYMSHARK.COM

FOR ALL CUSTOMER SERVICE ENQUIRIES PLEASE EMAIL SUPPORT@GYMSHARK.COM

Or you can reach us via our socials:

Instagram: @Gymshark

Twitter: @Gymshark

Spotify: @Gymshark

Pinterest: @Gymshark

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Gymshark/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/GymSharkTV

News Feature Story: Gymshark Athlete - Nikki Blackketter

The Gymshark brand has quickly become one of the most popular fitness brands currently on the market. Although, it isn’t on the same level as Adidas or Nike yet, it’s time is coming. Unlike other athletic brands, Gymshark is highly unique. One thing that sets this brand/company a part, is that they take on various men and women social media influencers (fitness Instagrammers and Youtubers), who are relatable to their demographic, as “Gymshark athletes” and sponsor them to endorse their products and the Gymshark brand. The first ever female Gymshark Athlete was, Nikki Blackketter. In the video series on the Gymshark’s Youtube channel called, “My Vision”, profiles the company’s various athletes. Episode 3 highlights 25 year-old, fitness Youtuber and Instagrammer, Nikki Blackketter’s personal fitness journey. The video starts with a montage Nikki getting ready for the gym, while slow theatrical music plays in the background as she beins with, “I can’t lie and say I set out with a plan to be where I am now; that I believed in myself and made it a reality, I didn’t. I don’t think I had a vision. I think my success came from making a lot of the wrong decisions. I got to a place in my life where I didn’t feel good about how I looked or felt, so I forced myself to make a change.” The music becomes hopeful and upbeat, as the camera then pans to Nikki doing an intense workout. This is where she describes that pivotal moment that lead her to a fitness lifestyle and Gymshark. Her previous life in San Antonio, was “literally just working to live, just to exist” and it revolved around partying every night as an outlet for her problems and during the day waiting tables; she had 0 goals and 0 aspirations. Nikki becomes emotional when she says, “it was really hard times” and viewers can tell that this truly was a dark time in her life. The next part of the video is where she discusses the day she “woke up and looked at [myself] in the mirror and [I] was so tired of feeling like crap in the morning …. [I] never felt alive and [I] didn’t like what [I] saw when [I ] looked into the mirror.” It was through social media in 2012, that she found weight lifting and fitness. She liked the way the fitness women online looked and decided to get a gym membership and that’s when she started to lift weights. Soon the gym and exercising replaced alcohol and became her new outlet for problems and frustrations. It was interesting that she described this major shift in her life as, “essentially lose [my] friends to get this lifestyle and it was very lonely.” Nikki then turned to social media for support and as a way to connect with other like minded individuals that have the similar goals of healthy living and fitness. She started posting about her fitness journey on social media platforms like, Tumblr and Instagram. After 6 months of intensely working out, she decided to enter in her first bikini contest which was, “lonely physically and in person and it was a very difficult experience to do alone. [I] had that support and it was still better than waking up hungover and miserable every single day.” She ended up placing 2nd in that first bikini contest and felt so rewarded, she decided to start a Youtube channel because there wasn’t a lot of female representation in fitness on Youtube at that time. Her then boyfriend Christian Guzman, who is also a highly successful Gymshark athlete, invited her to go with him to Birmingham, England to attend the Bodypower expo; which is where she first connected with the Gymshark team. After meeting them she said, “[I] was really motivated and inspired because it’s this group of very young people…. Like minded people all kind of striving for this better goal of fitness.” After corresponding with the Gymshark team for a few months, they decided to take her on as an athlete to represent their brand. Nikki describes her fitness journey then as, just support and holding her accountable to now, “where [I] want to inspire women and to show women that there was a different outlet for your frustrations, or your stress, for feeling depressed or alone. That there was a different outlet for that besides drinking.” Gymshark has allowed Nikki Blackketter to expand, inspire and reach more people (specifically women) worldwide. She says that the Gymshark brand and products allow her to be more and that their clothing gives women the confidence to get into the gym and feel good while working out. The video ends with Nikki saying that the Gymshark team is a group of inspirational people with big dreams and are not “just thinkers and dreamers, at Gymshark they’re actually doers.” This video series has allowed for Gymshark fans to get an inside look on the journey’s of these various athletes and what led them to living a healthy and fitness lifestyle. It humanizes these people and shows audiences that everyone has a story behind their reason for fitness. The videos are truly inspiring and has allowed for a deeper connection to develop between the Gymshark brand and athletes with their consumer demographic.

Media Advisory

Nikki Blackketter x Gymshark Pop Up Event

WHAT: On March 25, there will be a pop up shop event happening in New York at 27 Mercer Street. With the rapidly growing success of Gymshark, especially the women’s line. The Gymshark team could not be more excited to launch this new line of clothing in collaboration with Gymshark athlete and fitness social media influencer, Nikki Blackketter.

WHO: Gymshark and Nikki Blackketter

WHEN: March, 25, 2017

10:00 AM

WHERE: 27 Mercer Street, New York

WHY: To celebrate the launch of the newest Gymshark women’s clothing line. This will be the exclusive pre-release first look and chance to get your hands on some of the Nikki B x Gymshark collection. Nikki Blackketter and Ben Francis will both be present, along with others from the Gymshark team!

Fact Sheet on the Nikki Blackketter x Gymshark Pop Up Event

What: Nikki Blackketter x Gymshark Pop Up Shop Event

When: March, 25, 2017, 10AM

Where: 27 Mercer Street, New York City

Why: The launch of the Nikki B collaboration with Gymshark clothing line

Social Media Sampling

Facebook post on the Nikki Blacketter x Gymshark Pop Up Shop event.

Twitter post on the Nikki Blacketter x Gymshark Pop Up Shop event.

Instagram post on the Nikki Blacketter x Gymshark Pop Up Shop event.

Photos with Captions

Figure 1 Christian Guzman & Nikki Blackketter. Source: myprepcoach

Figure 2 Nikki Blackketter x Gymshark. Source: Pinterest

Figure 3 Whitney Simmons for Gymshark. Source: Twitter

BACKGROUND on Gymshark

The Gymshark brand was created in 2012 by 19-year-old Ben Francis (Current owner & CEO). It is an online manufacturer based out of the United Kingdom, this brand is a classic rags to riches story. It started out as just screen printing in a garage, to now sending shockwaves across the world with by how rapidly they have grown, Gymshark has truly become one of the most recognisable brands in fitness. The Gymshark brand was created with a lot of hard work and dedication from the entire team who created it. They take pride in their vision: “Before there is an action, there is an idea. We exist to create the tools that help people unlock their full, incredible potential and put their ideas into action. Be all that you imagined you could be. Be a visionary”. Currently, Gymshark has over 3 million social media followers and costumers in 131 various countries worldwide.

CONTACTS

Gymshark is led by:Ben Francis - Chief Brand OfficerSteve Hewitt - Managing DirectorPaul Richardson - Non-Executive DirectorRichard Chapple - Non-Executive Director

MEDIA & PRESS PRESS@GYMSHARK.COM

BUSINESS ENQUIRIES CORPORATE@GYMSHARK.COM

FOR ALL SPONSORSHIP ENQUIRIES PLEASE EMAIL SPONSORSHIP@GYMSHARK.COM

FOR ALL CUSTOMER SERVICE ENQUIRIES PLEASE EMAIL SUPPORT@GYMSHARK.COM

SOCIAL MEDIAS

Instagram: @Gymshark

Twitter: @Gymshark

Spotify: @Gymshark

Pinterest: @Gymshark

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Gymshark/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/GymSharkTV