PM Sews Support For The All Blacks

Thursday 30 October 2008

PM Sews Support For The All Blacks

Prime Minister Helen Clark is showing her support for the All Blacks by signing her name to a thread – adithread - that has been stitched intothe silver fern of a special jersey that will be presented to members of the team ahead of Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup match in Hong Kong ( 2 November 2008).

adiThread is part of All Black sponsor adidas’ campaign – ‘This is not a jersey’ - to support the 2008 All Blacks.

Using state-of-the-art ‘Fibre Imprinting Nanotechnology’, Helen Clark’s name has been printed - along with names and mantras of around 10,000 All Blacks fans - onto adiThread and stitched into the silver fern of a one-off playing strip.

The jersey will be gifted to All Black Captain Richie McCaw and members of the squad as a symbol of the nation’s support the day before the All Blacks take on Australia in the Hong Kong match.

Helen Clark said she was delighted to sign her name to the thread. “The team will be playing their hearts out in their first ever match in Hong Kong, and the new technology means their supporters can literally be even closer to the action!”

adidas New Zealand Marketing Manager John Beckett, explains: “We are thrilled our Prime Minister has elected to show her support along with thousands of other fans for the All Blacks ahead of a such an exciting match – the first Bledisloe Cup to be played in neutral territory.

“The ‘This is not a Jersey’ campaign is something that all New Zealanders can identify with – it is all about the All Blacks jersey - not just something 22 men wear, but a jersey fitted for four million people. ‘This is not a Jersey’ concentrates on the power of the iconic black jersey to unite and inspire as a symbol of kiwis’ support – it’s a way of defining ourselves as New Zealanders.”

The ‘Fibre Imprinting Nanotechnology’ was developed by Professor Richard Blaikie and Gary Turner of the University of Canterbury and the MacDiarmid Institute of Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology. It has been commercialised by Canterprise Limited, the Commercialisation and Technology Transfer Company of the University of Canterbury.

www.thisisnotajersey.com

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