Cole Haan and Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova is one busy girl! She has just sealed the deal to be the face for the spring 2009 Cole Haan Sporting collection as well as their ‘lead collaborator’.

This means that this time next year she will slide into her role as design consultant for the line. Cole Haan is a subsidiary of Nike, Sharapova’s tennis clothing sponsor. The 21-year-old who has 10-years working experience with Nike says “that the line will represent her lifestyle”, and adds “I’m not coming into the company to make the Maria pump….I’m there to add that really young touch and flavor to it.”

The Cole Haan Sporting collection is reportedly aiming “to pair Cole Haan’s authentic craftsmanship with Nike’s sports innovation” and is being marketed towards to a young, active and fashion-conscious consumer.

The Sporting line will include 40 casual styles for women and 30 for men. You will see ballet-style Mary Jane’s for the ladies as well as stylish elevated wedges and sandals in fuchsia, orange and cobra. For the men it will be lace-ups in bold and neutral shades. All the designs will incorporate Nike comfort technology. In doing so, they are incorporating ‘Flywire’ into the shoe design, a weaving technology first seen at the Beijing Summer Olympics that creates strong but lightweight shoes. Accessories include tennis bags, duffels and clutches, all of which are made from a recycled material, Bionic Yarn. This is a textile spun from recycled glass and plastics.

The Cole Haan Sporting line is scheduled to arrive in stores next February. Prices range from $115 to $550.

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Jennifer Zalitack
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