The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has announced a partnership with fashion brand Lilly Pulitzer, with the aim to unify the brands’ youth empowerment initiatives including the “Be the Sunshine” campaign.
The fashion brand will also become WTA’s exclusive fashion uniform designer for all corporate courtside team members at tournaments.
Lilly Pulitzer’s “Be the Sunshine” campaign will launch with an initial $50,000 donation to WTA’s philanthropic arm, WTA Charities. Both brands will also invest dedicated resources to promote positivity and inspire confidence in local WTA communities through the federation’s programs.
WTA President Micky Lawler stated: “Lilly’s mission to spread joy resonates with the WTA, from our corporate teams to fans. Through Lilly Pulitzer’s support of WTA Charities, our charitable programs such as Come Play, Serving Outside the Lines and our Community Fund will have an even deeper impact on the local communities we serve.”
The partnership will be led by WTA tennis icon and Lilly Pulitzer ambassador, Tracy Austin. The former world number one will be tasked with elevating the partnership and promoting the ‘Be the Sunshine’ campaign.
Austin added: “Creating and maintaining a positive attitude is a practice we can all benefit from.The best part about putting this state of mind into practice is that it’s truly infectious. The more positivity and confidence I can help generate in young girls and encourage the next generation to ‘Be the Sunshine’ inside and out, the brighter our future will be.”
On International Women’s Day, March 8 2020, Lilly Pulitzer will donate 20% of its Prosecco Pink Fronds Place tennis collection sales in store and online to WTA Charities. This comes in addition to hosting a Facebook Live panel discussion which focuses on female leadership and the importance of inspiring positivity through female sports.
Lilly Pulitzer CEO Michelle Kelly concluded: “We are thrilled to be the official fashion supplier of the WTA this year. Lilly Pulitzer and the WTA are joining forces to encourage future generations to be the sunshine in their communities, both on and off the court.”
