WTA, Lilly Pulitzer team up on fashion, Int'l Women's Day

In a new on- and off-court doubles partnership, the WTA tour and the fashion-centric Lilly Pulitzer brand have come together.

Throughout 2020, WTA staff—chair umpires, sport science and medicine leads, and many more—will don Lilly Pulitzer styles at tour-level events.

Lilly Pulitzer's first groundstroke of generosity in this duo is to donate 20% of its March 8 in-store and online sales of its vibrantly hued tennis collection, Prosecco Pink Fronds Place, to WTA Charities, the tour's philanthropic wing. That date doubles International Women's Day.

On the same day, the perennially fresh-faced Tracy Austin—a Lilly Pulitzer ambassador, retired tennis star, and Tennis Channel commentator—will feature prominently in an event at the brand's pop-up store in Palm Desert, California, for those local to check out. Also part of that shebang: Lilly Pulitzer CEO Michelle Kelly and WTA president Micky Lawler will co-host a Facebook Live panel discussion, set to feature topics of "female leadership and the importance of inspiring positivity through female sports."

"We are thrilled to be the official fashion supplier of the WTA this year, Kelly said in a media statement. "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."

This new tandem figures squarely in the scope of Lilly Pulitzer's 2020 "Be the Sunshine" campaign.

The WTA-plus–Lilly Pulitzer pairing also includes the fashion brand's initial $50,000 donation to WTA Charities, as LP serves as the tour's exclusive fashion outfitter through the end of 2020.

As Lawler put it in the same media release, "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."