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Athleta’s Power of She Collective is adding two WNBA stars to its lineup — Kate Martin and Lexie Hull.
“The Power of She Collective is a really important part of our brand’s positioning and purpose,” Chris Blakeslee, president and chief executive officer of Athleta, told WWD.
The mission of the four-and-a-half-year-old Power of She is not only to elevate Athleta’s brand recognition and have top athletes appear in Athleta apparel and ads. Members of the collective, which includes both active and former Olympians and professional female athletes, also help raise funds for women’s and girls’ causes, serve as mentors, attend brand events and advise Athleta on product development and issues in sports. They also network among themselves. The Power of She Collective includes Olympic champions Katie Ledecky and Simone Biles and WNBA player Monique Billings.
“We chose the athletes we partner with not just because of their athleticism but also for what they are doing when they are not competing on the court or on the field,” Blakeslee said.
The Power of She program is a two-way street. Blakeslee said the athletes further Athleta’s social agenda and brand awareness, while the platform also helps athletes shine a brighter light on the causes they support and their messages.
Hull was a standout at Stanford — leading her team to the National Championship in 2021. She went on to be an impressive sixth overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft, joining the Indiana Fever — now playing alongside the famed Caitlin Clark. Hull was red-hot last year, finishing with a 47.1 percent shooting rate, second only to Emily Engstler of the Washington Mystics who shot 47.4 percent. In a statement Tuesday from Athleta, Hull was characterized as “a style icon known for her aspirational style and viral game-day fits and an entrepreneur, founding a cosmetic brand designed for active women.”
Martin played at the University of Iowa along with Clark and participated in the 2023 and 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four, serving as captain of the Iowa Hawkeyes for three seasons. She joined the WNBA playing her first season with the Las Vegas Aces and was later drafted by the WNBA expansion team, the Golden State Valkyries.
“Kate is known for her intense and creative workouts that she shares via social media captivating fans with her hard work and tenacity grit,” Athleta said in its statement.
Martin and Hull are continuing to hone their skills on the court by playing in the inaugural season of Unrivaled, a new 3-on-3 women’s basketball league, happening during the offseason for the WNBA. The Unrivaled league has 35 players participating.
