Stella McCartney Celebrates Women in Sports and the WTA with Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni’s Phia
Stella McCartney is getting sporty this season, thanks to the U.S. Open 2023.
On Tuesday night, the designer’s SoHo boutique hosted a party celebrating its forthcoming collaboration with Phoebe Gates — daughter of Bill Gates — and Sophia Kianni’s upcoming digital fashion platform Phia: a limited-edition version of McCartney’s Frame handbag. The resulting piece, a light pink take on the brand’s signature rounded shoulder bag — complete with an embellished ribbon-accented handle — in two different sizes, will exclusively launch at the store on Sept. 21.
The occasion was additionally hosted with the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) — an organization that governs the tennis world’s WTA Tour — which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year during the U.S. Open tennis tournament. A percentage of in-store purchases also benefited the WTA’s namesake WTA Foundation, which aims to empower female athletes. Aside from Gates and Kianni, fashion-forward stars including actress Bailey Bass, model Meadow Walker and aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe were in attendance, listening to music by Jade Croo and sipping cocktails by Casa Dragones.
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McCartney’s US Open party marked her latest brand ties to the world of sports. Since 2005, the designer has helmed a collaborative collection with Adidas — which also led to a partnership to design the United Kingdom’s uniforms for the 2012 Olympic Games. It also follows the designer’s viral fall 2023 campaign starring Kendall Jenner, as well as the launch of her S-Wave sneakers with Adidas.
“It is made out of the waste industry of wine.. by making use of grape skins,” McCartney exclusively told FN‘s Charlie Carballo at the shoe’s release party in February. “We’re making vegan, no animal glues, no killing of animals, cruelty-free sneakers S wave. It’s the best, I wear it all the time.”
The U.S. Open is an annual tennis tournament, held in New York City at the end of the summer season. The 2023 event will be held from Aug. 28 to Sept. 10, with a range of parties held throughout from brands including Stella McCartney, Amex and Dobel Tequila. The occasion also draws numerous celebrity guests, including Michelle Obama, Hilaria Baldwin, Lindsey Vonn and more.
About the Author:
Aaron Royce is the Digital Editor for Footwear News, where he writes stories on celebrity style, brand collaborations and in-depth profile interviews. Prior to joining Footwear News, Royce wrote and interned for publications including PAPER, Grazia and the Daily Front Row. He currently holds a B.S. in mass communications from Virginia Commonwealth University.
