The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the British Fashion Council have unveiled a new partnership celebrating the connection between women’s tennis and fashion. The aim of the WTA/British Fashion Council collaboration is to feature British designers, raise the off-court profile of players and extend the link between the sport and fashion. Through this project, a group of WTA stars will be dressed in customised dresses, created specifically for them by British designers.World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki, who is the face of adidas by stella mccartney, will continue her collaboration with Stella, while five-time Wimbledon Champion Serena Williams will wear a dress created for her by Burberry. Roland Garros Champion Li Na will be dressed by Giles Deacon, a designer popular with customers in Hong Kong, while Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova will be wearing a dress created for her by David Koma, a British designer with Russian roots.
Many of the designers will be accompanying the WTA stars to the annual pre-Wimbledon party - co-hosted by the WTA and the Virgin Group at Kensington Rooftop Gardens in London on 16 June - to show off creations to the media. The dresses will be auctioned off during Wimbledon with the proceeds to be split between WTA charities and the British Fashion Council’s Princess of Wales Charitable Trust.
Additional designers involved in the project include Matthew Williamson (Ana Ivanovic), Vivienne Westwood (Jelena Jankovic), Mary Katrantzou (Samantha Stosur), Mulberry (Heather Watson), Temperley (Laura Robson), Richard Nicoll (Andrea Petkovic), and many others. Nicholas Kirkwood, who was named Accessory Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards 2010, will be providing shoes for the occasion.
www.wta.com
www.britishfashioncouncil.com
