Brands
Uniqlo banks on Mr Dependable Rahul Dravid to stitch style into daily life
MUMBAI: Rahul Dravid has gone from “The Wall” to “Mr Dependable” in his newest innings this time not on the pitch, but in the wardrobe. Global apparel giant Uniqlo has launched its ‘Everyday Wear for Mr. Dependable’ campaign, fronted by the cricket legend, spotlighting its LifeWear philosophy of comfort, simplicity, and quality.
The campaign hinges on two of Uniqlo’s core offerings: the breathable Airism Polo Shirt and the crisp Super Non Iron Shirt. In the campaign film, Dravid plays a split-screen double act on one side, a coach in his Airism Polo strolling past the nets; on the other, a family man in his Super Non Iron Shirt, ready for dinner. Together, the twin Dravids underline how Uniqlo promises dependable style across every facet of life.
“For me, simplicity and consistency matter, in cricket and in life. Uniqlo fits into every version of my day, it’s simple, comfortable and functional,” said Dravid, reflecting the same calm assurance that earned him his moniker on the field.
The rollout is set to be as versatile as its star: a 360° campaign across digital, social, in-store, CRM, and outdoor platforms from August 18. Adding tech to the mix, Uniqlo will also unveil a first-of-its-kind AR activation at its newest store in Orion Mall, Brigade Gateway, Bengaluru, opening August 29, 2025. Shoppers will be able to interact with a life-sized virtual Dravid through an immersive zone, a campaign twist as dependable as the man himself.
Uniqlo India marketing director Nidhi Rastogi said the collaboration was a natural fit: “Rahul Dravid represents the same consistency, simplicity, and quiet confidence that Uniqlo embodies.”
From crease to closet, Dravid seems to have mastered the art of being reliably stylish. With a house full of fans and a wardrobe now full of Uniqlo, Mr Dependable is still batting for consistency only this time, in everyday wear.
Brands
Samsung certifies 1,000 Maharashtra students in AI and coding
The South Korean electronics giant marks its first large-scale skilling push in the state, with women making up nearly half the national programme’s enrolment
PUNE: Samsung has put 1,000 students in Maharashtra through a certified training programme in artificial intelligence and coding, the largest such drive the South Korean electronics company has run in the state and a signal that corporate India’s skilling ambitions are moving well beyond the boardroom brochure.
The certifications were awarded under Samsung Innovation Campus (SIC), the company’s flagship corporate social responsibility programme, which launched in India in 2022 with the stated aim of democratising access to future-technology education. The 1,000 graduates were drawn from four institutions: 127 from Savitribai Phule Pune University, 373 from Pimpri Chinchwad University, 250 from D.Y. Patil University’s Ramrao Adik Institute of Technology and 250 from Anjuman-I-Islam’s Kalsekar Technical Campus. All completed training in either AI or coding and programming, the two disciplines Samsung has identified as the critical pillars of the digital economy.
The programme does not stop at technical training. Soft-skills development and career-readiness modules are baked into the curriculum, a deliberate attempt to close the gap between what universities teach and what employers actually want.
“India’s digital growth story will ultimately be shaped by the quality of its talent pipeline,” said Shubham Mukherjee, head of CSR and corporate communications at Samsung Southwest Asia. “As technologies like AI move from the periphery to the core of industries, skilling must evolve from basic training to building real-world capability. This milestone in Maharashtra reflects how industry and academia can come together to create a future-ready workforce that is both globally competitive and locally relevant.”
The Maharashtra drive sits within a rapidly scaling national effort. Samsung Innovation Campus trained 20,000 young people across India in 2025, hitting its stated target for the year. Women account for 48 per cent of national enrolments, a figure the company cites as evidence of its push for an inclusive technology ecosystem. The programme is implemented in partnership with the Electronics Sector Skills Council of India and the Telecom Sector Skill Council.
Samsung, which is marking 30 years in India this year, runs SIC alongside two other initiatives, Samsung Solve for Tomorrow and Samsung DOST, as part of a broader effort to build what it calls a generation of innovators with both the technical depth and the problem-solving mindset to thrive in a fast-moving digital world.
A thousand certified students is a tidy headline. Whether they find jobs that match their new skills is the harder question, and the one that will ultimately determine whether corporate skilling programmes like this one are genuine pipelines or well-photographed gestures.
