NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) today announced a multi-year partnership with Mielle, making the leading black-founded and woman-led beauty brand an Official Marketing Partner and the Official Textured Hair Care Partner of the league.
“The WNBA is excited to partner with Mielle, a brand that is committed to empowering women and supporting women’s sports,” said WNBA Chief Growth Officer Colie Edison. “This year’s WNBA Live in Las Vegas will not only give us the chance to celebrate our game, but also the opportunity to tip off this dynamic partnership with Mielle.”
As the Official Textured Haircare Partner, Mielle, whose products can be found in more than 100,000 stores across the U.S., will leverage the WNBA’s cultural relevance amongst its diverse fanbase to reach current and future customers. The partnership will tip off with the 2023 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game, taking place at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 15.
Mielle will be an associate partner of WNBA Live presented by U.S. Bank, the league’s two-day interactive fan festival, which provides fans an opportunity to celebrate the league’s marquee moments, teams, and players, and experience the intersection of the WNBA, fashion, music, and culture leading up to the 2023 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game. As a partner of WNBA Live, Mielle will host an engaging on-site activation including sampling of their newest collection and player meet and greet opportunities during the fan festival, which takes place on Friday and Saturday, July 14-15 at Mandalay Bay.
“We’re excited to partner with the WNBA to celebrate the best women’s basketball talent in the world,” says Omar Goff, President at Mielle. “Mielle was founded by queen Monique Rodriguez and is committed to ensuring the queens on the court have superior products to confidently embrace their natural hair beauty. Mielle was built on the foundation of providing high quality, natural products for textured hair. The WNBA partnership enables Mielle to empower players through exceptional hair care.”
Throughout the partnership, Mielle will demonstrate its commitment to supporting and empowering women by activating at tentpole events like WNBA Live, conducting WNBA-themed marketing and retail programs, and introducing players to their new, favorite Mielle products. Mielle and the WNBA will also create an integrated cross-promotion campaign that will feature brand exposure across the league’s media partners and the WNBA’s digital assets, including WNBA App and WNBA.com, as well as the league’s social media platforms. This multi-faceted approach will also include virtual signage during the 2023 AT&T All-Star Game.
About Mielle
Founded in 2014 by CEO Monique Rodriguez, Mielle is the fastest growing Black-founded and women-led global beauty brand. With a heavy emphasis on incorporating healthier ingredients and a "root to results" approach, Mielle's collection of beauty products is designed for all hair types. Today, Mielle is a global and viral sensation, with orders in over 90 countries around the world. Their products can be found in more than 100,000 stores across the U.S. in retailers such as CVS, HEB, Rite Aid, Sally Beauty, Target, Ulta Beauty, Walgreens, and Walmart.
About the WNBA
The WNBA, which tipped off its 27th season on May 19, is a bold, progressive basketball league that stands for the power of women. Featuring 12 teams, the W is a unique sports property that combines competition and entertainment with a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and social responsibility. Through its world-class athletes, the in-game fan experience, TV and digital broadcasts, digital and social content and community outreach programs, the league celebrates and elevates the game of basketball and the culture around it.
In 2020, the WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) signed a groundbreaking eight-year CBA that charts a new course for women’s basketball – and women’s sports overall – with a focus on increased player compensation, improvements to the player experience, expanded career development opportunities and resources specifically tailored to the female professional athlete. Key elements of the agreement are supported through the league’s partnership platform, WNBA Changemakers, with AT&T, the WNBA’s Marquee Partner and inaugural Changemaker, as well as fellow inaugural Changemakers Deloitte and NIKE, Inc, and subsequent additions Google, U.S. Bank and CarMax. During the 2020 season, the WNBA and WNBPA launched the WNBA Justice Movement forming the Social Justice Council with the mission of being a driving force of necessary change and continuing conversations about race and voting rights, among other important societal issues.
