ASICS: The Undropped Kit
ASICS and GUT Toronto were tasked with addressing the high dropout rate of teenage girls in UK sports. The client sought to identify and remove the systemic barriers preventing participation. The goal was to improve physical and mental wellbeing by creating a more inclusive environment, ultimately influencing national education policy to ensure girls feel comfortable and confident in their school PE uniforms.
Creative Idea
They turned a school uniform into a lobbying tool for national policy reform.
ASICS co-created a modular PE kit with teenage girls to solve physical discomfort and period anxiety, using the prototype to lobby the UK government for national policy changes that ensure inclusive school uniform standards for all students.
Turning School Uniforms Into Legislative Tools
Designing for Real Bodies
The development process prioritized radical inclusivity over aesthetics. The design team collaborated with Inclusive Sportswear and a cohort of teenage girls to identify specific pain points, such as the lack of pockets for sanitary products and the restrictive nature of traditional skorts. The resulting prototype featured modular components and breathable, high-performance fabrics that addressed both physical discomfort and the psychological barrier of period anxiety. By focusing on the lived experience of the students, the team ensured the kit was not just a garment, but a functional solution to a systemic exclusion.
From Prototype to Parliament
The campaign’s most significant hurdle was moving beyond the marketing sphere to influence the Department for Education. The strategy relied on a high-stakes lobbying effort that treated the kit as a physical manifesto. By presenting the prototype directly to policymakers at the House of Lords, the agencies bypassed traditional advertising channels to force a conversation on the floor of the legislature. This approach transformed the brand from a sportswear manufacturer into a credible policy advocate.
A Shift in National Guidance
The impact was codified when the UK government updated its official school uniform guidance. The inclusion of "choice" and "inclusion" as mandatory considerations for schools represents a rare instance of a brand-led initiative successfully altering national education policy. The campaign effectively proved that when a brand identifies a genuine systemic failure, it can leverage its creative resources to achieve legislative change that outlasts any traditional media buy. The project remains a case study in how purpose-led work can move the needle on public policy through strategic, evidence-based advocacy.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
ASICS leveraged its expertise in athletic performance and human-centric design to create functional, inclusive sportswear for teenage girls.
Category
Sportswear brands typically ignore school-level PE uniforms, focusing instead on professional athletes or high-performance commercial gear.
Customer
Teenage girls felt alienated by restrictive, uncomfortable kits that ignored their physiological needs, body confidence, and period anxiety.
Culture
The growing focus on female health equity and inclusive education policy provided the perfect backdrop for systemic reform.
Company
ASICS leveraged its expertise in athletic performance and human-centric design to create functional, inclusive sportswear for teenage girls.
Category
Sportswear brands typically ignore school-level PE uniforms, focusing instead on professional athletes or high-performance commercial gear.
Strategy:
Solve systemic exclusion by transforming a hidden physical barrier into a catalyst for policy reform.
Customer
Teenage girls felt alienated by restrictive, uncomfortable kits that ignored their physiological needs, body confidence, and period anxiety.
Culture
The growing focus on female health equity and inclusive education policy provided the perfect backdrop for systemic reform.
Strategy:
Solve systemic exclusion by transforming a hidden physical barrier into a catalyst for policy reform.
Results
The campaign generated over 515 million impressions, was featured in 21 broadcast segments, and inspired 400 media stories. Following the trial, 78% of Burnley High School students reported feeling more comfortable during PE. Crucially, the campaign successfully lobbied the UK government, leading the Department of Education to officially update its school uniform guidance on November 7, 2025, to offer girls a choice of shorts, skorts, tracksuit bottoms, or leggings.
+515M
Impressions
78%
Students feeling more comfortable during PE
400
Media stories generated
Strategy Technique
Find the Missing Conversation
ASICS identified that school uniform design was a silent, systemic barrier to female participation. By elevating this overlooked topic, they claimed the conversation and forced a necessary shift in national policy.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Turn Message into Product
The campaign transformed the abstract issue of sports dropout into a tangible, functional product. By creating a physical kit, ASICS turned a social message into a concrete solution that directly addressed the girls' lived experiences.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
The campaign's excellence lies in its genuine co-creation process and product design, turning a systemic social issue into a tangible, policy-changing physical solution.
The modular, highly functional design of the PE kit directly addresses real-world physiological and psychological barriers for young girls.
The strategic rollout successfully bridged grassroots school trials with national broadcast media and direct political lobbying.
