British Fashion Council collaborates with WTA to dress tennis stars

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

British sportswear brand Admiral under new ownership

British sportswear brand Admiral has recently acquired new British owners, a move that will see the rejuvenation of the brand across Europe. The new owners are Admiral Sportswear Limited, a special purpose vehicle established to acquire the rights to the Admiral brand for Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The move sees Managing Director Jonathan Hamburger heading up the new Admiral Sportswear Limited business and the appointment of former Umbro, JD Fashion and West Bromwich Albion executive Tim Gardiner as Sales & Marketing Director.

The plans include the introduction of three product collections for Admiral; Football Performace for the pro and amateur markets, Admiral 'Gold' a brand new fashion concept and Lifestyle, including retro-inspired 'back catalogue' Admiral products, drawing on designs from the 70’s and 80’s.

Originally established in Leicester as Cook & Hurst, the Admiral business was incorporated in 1914, when the company designed and manufactured underwear for the Armed Forces. Through its life, the Admiral brand has been worn by many teams including Manchester United, Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur among others. Admiral was also the first sports brand logo to appear on the England national football team kit.

Lions Rampant rebrands and opens first stand-alone stores

Young lifestyle brand, Lions Rampant has rebranded as Rampant Sporting, a move that signals a new era for the business and includes the opening of its first stand-alone stores. The first store will open in Exeter this April and will sell the full range of Rampant Sporting products. The brand will also be launching a new website with more videos and interactive content. Founder Richard Hurtley dreamed up the idea for the business while studying at University and has now been named by the Spectator magazine as Rising Entrepreneur of the Future and as one of the Drapers New Generation 30 under 30 rising stars of the fashion industry.

etnies to launch first stand-alone store in Europe

Manufacturer and retailer of action sports footwear and apparel, etnies has announced it will open its first stand-alone retail store this month in Kingston Upon Thames. Launching on 31 March, etnies will house the biggest collection of etnies footwear and apparel in Europe. To celebrate etnies is giving away free goody bags to customers on the launch day.
www.etnies.com