For most of us, sports and fashion aren’t synonymous words. There’s maybe one exception here: tennis. Female tennis players are symbols of elegance, some of the most beautiful ones crossing the line between the playground and the catwalk, helped by both their beauty and by their performance. There are many examples of perfume lines and clothing collections endorsed by athletes. One of the most relevant is the case of the new Cole Haan handbags and clothing accessories collection, endorsed by the beautiful Maria Sharapova. This is one of the cases when a tennis player becomes the face of non-tennis related apparel. It’s unusual, because the common path is to sponsor the tennis gear and pay them to wear it while training and in championships. However, with this new advertising campaign, it seems like all parties involved have made an excellent deal. Cole Haan’s new collection is targeting young and active women who recognize themselves in the image of Maria Sharapova, elegant and professional, never willing to compromise on quality and always concerned with her public image. On the other hand, Sharapova, who’s a fashion addict, was very excited to appear on Cole Haan’s advertising materials and at their store launches. This partnership was made possible by Nike, who’s innovative technologies are behind the Cole Haan shoes, offering them the features of professional sports footwear, despite their trendy look. Moreover, there’s another aspect that enabled this collaboration: it was not the first time Sharapova has appeared in an advertising campaign. Her previous experiences with Canon, Nike and Tag Heuer have made her amenable to these kind of requests – the perks of being a widely known celebrity.
Her passion for fashion hasn’t made Maria neglect her professional duties nor has it made her forget where she comes from. Born in Russia, to a poor family, Maria and her father moved to the US when she was seven years old. There she joined the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy and, after years of hard work, she managed to win Wimbledon at the age of 17. Since then, her life has changed and she has become a public person and one of the richest athletes in the world. Many consumer goods companies have noticed her and pursued her for their advertising campaigns. Thanks to endorsement contracts like the one she’s signed with Cole Haan, Maria is able to contribute to helping victims of Chernobyl recover after the nuclear plant disaster in 1986.
