Australian men's athletic wear label SQDAthletica has signed AFL Sydney Swans player Isaac Heeney as its latest brand ambassador.
Heeney joins ex-Australian cricketer Mitchell Johnson as an ambassador and his joining the brand coincides with SQDAthletica's official entrance into the Sydney market via a store opening in Bondi.
Heeney said that he knew the partnership with the brand would be a great fit as it shares his enthusiasm.
"I'm super excited to be the newest ambassador for SQDAthletica!
"When I met up with the SQD team I knew it would be a mutual partnership and it made me really keen to be working with such an enthusiastic brand.
"Their kit is exactly what I'm after in an athletic wear range for either exercise or casual around home or the beach and I can't wait for everyone to get to know all their products on offer.
"I'm absolutely pumped to be involved during such an exciting time for SQD," he said.
The brand is also primed to launch its largest winter collection which SQDAthletica GM Scott Philipson said makes it an even more exciting time for the brand.
"We’re thrilled to be welcoming Isaac to the SQDAthletica family.
"It’s an exciting time for the brand as we expand into another market and launch our biggest-ever winter collection.
"For us, building the relationship with Isaac has been very organic, as his attitude to being ‘fit for his life’ and all that it entails is very much in line with what our brand is about," he said.
Over the past twelve months, SQDAthletica has also been experimenting with using recycled materials in its products, creating a collection using 100% recycled polyester, which has prevented more than 13,000 plastic bottles going to landfill.
The Orion collection uses PET – the raw material found in clear plastic bottles – meaning that each piece in the collection is made from between six to 10 bottles.
Philipson said that the brand takes its environmental responsibility seriously.
"We’re very conscious of our environmental impact when producing our garments.
"By using recycled polyester over virgin polyester, we’re doing our part to reduce the number of plastic bottles ending up in landfill, and as a result, also helping to reduce our CO2 carbon emissions."
The collection also incorporates Polygiene anti-odour technology, a permanent fabric treatment which uses 100% recycled silver chloride to break down the bacteria in sweat that causes clothes to stink, meaning that the clothes can be worn multiple times before being washed.
This technology reduces water and energy consumption, while also extending the life of the garment.
"Sweat itself is odourless, but it creates the perfect environment for bacteria to grow, and this causes us and our clothes to stink," Philipson said.
"In our climate in particular, this means we’re washing our gear more and throwing it out sooner.
"With Polygiene, you don’t have to wash after every wear, even after a heavy workout, which is better for the wearer and better for the environment," he said.