Naomi Osaka’s functional suncare brand Kinlò has announced NIL deals for its #GlowOutside campaign with five different collegiate athletes, according to Kristi Dosh of Forbes.
The athletes are Deja Kelly (UNC women’s basketball), Reilyn Turner (UCLA women’s soccer), Robert Dillingham (Kentucky men’s basketball), Xolani Hodel (Stanford women’s beach volleyball) and Ziyah Leigh Holman (Michigan women’s track and field).
The goal of the campaign is to raise awareness to people of color of the importance of year-round SPF use for melanin-rich skin.
“I’m so excited to partner with these amazing student athletes to help spread awareness for our Glow Outside campaign,” Osaka said. “As young, influential voices in the space, they are the perfect fit to help champion such an important initiative and as a brand, we couldn’t be prouder to empower and support NCAA athletes.”
Hodel particularly caught the attention of Kinlò, as she is a Black woman trying to find her place in a predominantly white sport.
“I began to understand quite recently that I shouldn’t be fighting my identity, but rather embracing it, because it is this that differentiates me and provides me with unique strengths and perspectives,” Hodel said. “Not only embracing it for myself, but for younger African American athletes trying to establish their place in predominantly white sports.”
Dillingham, who sang the praises of the NIL movement, also believes the values of Kinlò align with hers.
“I’m truly honored to partner with Naomi and be part of this campaign. For me, NIL is about building authentic partnerships with brands that stand for things that I care about—Kinlò’s mission is a perfect example of that, and Naomi is someone I respect as an athlete and individual.”
