Ivorian soccer player, Didier Drogba, is one of the eight footballers who have endorsed Product Red’s new partnership with NIKE. Product Red is a brand that licenses partner companies to create products that are sold on the market. A percentage of sales are then donated to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis in Africa. Participating retailers include Starbucks, Gap, Converse, Apple, Dell and others.

In a press conference that was attended by Product Red creator, Bono, Drogba, and others, the first product under the new partnership with Nike are RED shoelaces. Although specifically designed for football (soccer) boots, they can be worn by anyone.

Bono has been wearing them on his U2 360 tour, while Drogba wore them in a recent Chelsea vs Arsenal  game. Drogba was quoted as saying,

“Football is very powerful, especially in Africa. It is like  a religion. So we players as ambassadors, as a good example we need to promote our continent and try to do our best to fight this disease”.

They are now available through select Nike stores, Nike stockists worldwide and the Nike website.