Simone Biles is the most decorated gymnast in U.S. history. With 30 combined Olympic and World Championship medals, Biles’ dominance is well recognized.
Today, she just flipped her way into another power move that looks to add to her championship winning ways.
Simone Biles announced that she left Nike and signed with Gap Inc.’s Athleta Brand.
“Welcome to Team Athleta, Simone Biles!” tweeted Athleta. “Today, fueled by our shared commitment to empower the next generation of girls, we’re honored to announce our partnership with the most decorated American gymnast. Let’s do this.”
Leaving the all-mighty Nike for the smaller Athleta is a major win for Biles and the brand.
Founded in 1998, Athleta is a women’s activewear brand. The brand not only works with top-notch athletes but is also extremely focused on who they are and what they do with their platform and voice.
“Simone embodies our brand through her advocacy, mentorship and work in the community,” said Jana Henning, chief product officer of Athleta. “Our team is looking forward to working collaboratively with her to bring the same elements of confidence, strength, and grace she demonstrates on and off the mat into future collections for girls.”
That is the reason why they signed track and field star Allyson Felix in 2019. Like Biles, Felix is also an Olympic gold medalist and former Nike athlete. Felix famously took the company to task for the way in which they treated their pregnant athletes when she was having her child.
Biles, like Felix, uses her platform to speak out on issues that need to be addressed. In Athleta, she has a new partner to help spread her message with and through.
“Using my voice has been very empowering for me and I’m grateful to embark on this new journey with Athleta to inspire young girls and women to do the same,” said Biles in the press release. “The opportunity to encourage young girls to reach their full potential and be a force for change is incredibly powerful. I admire Athleta for their commitment to recognize and support women’s individual and collective strength and, together, I believe we can help girls to confidently and passionately take on the world in their athletic endeavors and beyond.”
Athleta and Biles will collaborate to develop new products for athletes, which includes their Athleta Girl brand. In addition, Biles will have her own signature activewear line, which is scheduled to be released in 2022.
“We are excited to welcome Simone to the Athleta family and work together to further our mission of empowering women and girls,” said Mary Beth Laughton, president and CEO of Athleta. “Simone believes in championing the next generation of female athletes as much as we do, and we are confident this partnership will continue to build community with our customers and enrich our brand.”
Inspiring the next generation of female athletes is one of Biles’ primary goals, especially as she prepares for the Tokyo games this summer.
“A big focus for me right now is inspiring the next generation of female athletes to dominate in sports like just men, which we honestly proved at the Olympics when women overall picked up more medals than men,” said Biles in an interview with PEOPLE. “Because once you are in the spotlight you need to use that momentum.”
“There’s so much focus on men in sports, so we just want women to know to never give up and chase their dreams,” she continued. “We’re always doing that, we’re always on.”
And Biles is on once again with her latest power move.
