ESPNW.com’s Amanda Rykoff wrote many women tennis players have delved into the fashion world and noted part of the “success of the Maria Sharapova Collection involves delivering the star's on-court looks to her fans.” Because this “requires lots of advance planning, the process starts about 18 months in advance of the event.” Sharapova last year sat down with Nike designers “to come up with a design for her 2012 dress.” Rykoff noted it is a “highly collaborative process.” The team “looks for innovative ways to combine Sharapova's fashion-forward designs with high performance fabrics and silhouettes, with a particular attention to detail.” The tennis star “has designed looks for several up-and-coming players” and this season Sofia Arvidsson, Kai-Chen Chang, Indy De Vroome, Andrea Hlavackova, Madison Keys and Anastasia Pivovarova “sport Sharapova's designs” (ESPNW.com, 1/24).
CAR & DRIVER: The MLS Dynamo will announce today that Mazda has signed a long-term sponsorship agreement to be designated the official vehicle of the club and a founding partner of BBVA Compass Stadium, which will open May 12. As part of the agreement, there will be a preferred Mazda parking area for select fans at the new venue. Mazda is also the first of 10 founding partners for BBVA Compass Stadium. This is the first sports sponsorship deal for Mazda in the Houston market (THE DAILY).
ON THE ROCKS: DKNY has expanded its partnership with the NHL Rangers, debuting the DKNY logo on the team’s home ice at Madison Square Garden this week. DKNY is the first fashion brand to ever have a logo featured on the Rangers’ ice at the Garden (MSG).
