Fashion Wire Daily NY May 21, 2003 - Reebok has been reborn, DVF-style: Last night, the company launched the "RBK by DVF" tennis collection, collaboratively designed by Reebok and Diane von Furstenberg, at the women's store of the newly refurbished Reebok outlet on the Upper West Side.
"The idea was to take the old glamour of tennis in the older days, and bring it to modern days," explained von Furstenberg of the new line.
Venus Williams, who signed a five-year, $40 million endorsement deal with Reebok in December 2000, will be the first woman to play in RBK by DVF at Wimbledon, which kicks off June 23. Two dresses in the debut collection were designed with the two-time Wimbledon champ in mind. One is a white corset dress that laces up the back, which Williams will be wearing at Wimbledon, and the other is a dress in a classic DVF link print, which she'll sport at the U.S. Open at the end of the summer. "She [Williams] was inspiring me, her strength and beauty," said von Furstenberg.
"Working with Diane von Furstenberg on this exciting collection was a dream come true," said Williams in a statement last month when the partnership was first announced. "Her style is sexy, sophisticated and hip - and that's exactly how I want my tennis apparel to look. I have a passion for design and fashion, so it was truly an honor to work with Diane on the sketches and color choices."
True to that passion, Williams announced back in November that she has opened her own interior design firm, called "V. Starr Interiors." Both she and sister Serena have attended the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, and have made almost as many headlines for their courtside style as they have for their powerful serves. (Remember little sis Serena's black Lycra catsuit at last year's U.S. Open?)
While designing this collection though, von Furstenberg and her team needed to meet the rigorous regulations and codes of all tennis organizations, most notably Wimbledon's conservative All England Lawn Tennis Club. "We had to satisfy lots of people," said von Furstenberg.
The collaboration of fashion designers and sports brands has been a big trend, as in Yohji Yamamoto's Y-3 alliance with Adidas. "I think it's very exciting. It's strange that no designers ever dressed a tennis player," said von Furstenberg.
Regardless of her new success with Reebok, von Furstenberg is not planning to bring the sporty edge to her own collection. "My collection is my collection. This is a little tennis line," the designer said.
