Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Partners with Tory Burch as Official Outfitter and Reveals “Billie Blue” Winner’s Jacket
The first jacket of its kind to be awarded to professional female athletes
Tory Burch is now the official outfitter of the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge, the women’s World Cup of Tennis and the largest annual international team event in women’s sports. In June, sports icon and equality champion Billie Jean King joined Burch on stage at the Tory Burch Foundation’s third Embrace Ambition summit to announce the partnership.
Burch has long admired King for her tireless work to advance women’s equality in sports and beyond. King was instrumental in the fight for equal pay in sports and worked for the passage of Title IX in 1972, which remains the only U.S. law that protects gender equality. In 2009, Burch launched the Tory Burch Foundation to empower women and support women entrepreneurs through grants, loans, mentorship, and education.
Burch and King have designed a winner’s jacket for the champion team of the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals, taking place from November 8th – 13th in Glasgow, Scotland. The jacket comes in “Billie Blue” with a special Billie Jean King Cup patch and a message from King embroidered on the lining. It is the first jacket of its kind in women’s professional sports.
Burch also designed uniforms for the ball people, umpires, and lineswomen. A special capsule of tennis polos, sweatshirts, hats, and a bracelet will be available on toryburch.com starting November 7th, with proceeds benefiting the Tory Burch Foundation and the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative.
“I am in awe of Billie Jean. What she means to young women is hard to describe,” Burch says. “I’m thrilled for our partnership. Personally, I’m really excited about the winner’s jackets. I thought about those green jackets they give men at the Masters, and I wanted to make something as iconic for world champion women athletes.”
“This is a 21st century partnership for the women’s World Cup of Tennis that embraces ambition and focuses on advancing equality around the globe using tennis to make a difference in the lives of others,” adds King.
The 12 countries that have qualified for the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals include the USA, Canada, Great Britain, Czech Republic, Italy, Kazakhstan, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, Australia, Slovakia, and Belgium.
The Tory Burch Foundation is also the non-profit partner of the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge. In collaboration with King and the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the Foundation will establish a fellowship to support a women entrepreneur in the sports field, launching in 2023.
The Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge is managed and run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the world governing body of tennis. The ITF reinvests 90% of world cup revenue into the development of women’s tennis at the grassroots level through its 210 National Tennis Federation members and in countries where support is most needed.
Founded in 2004 in New York City, Tory Burch is an American luxury brand known for beautiful, timeless pieces. As a designer, Tory draws inspiration from art, her family, and women globally. Her collections include ready-to-wear, handbags, footwear, accessories, jewelry, home and beauty.
Named one of the “100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century” by Life magazine and a 2009 recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Billie Jean King is the founder of the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative, the Women’s Tennis Association and the Women’s Sports Foundation, and part of the ownership groups of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Angel City FC and the Los Angeles Sparks.
In her legendary tennis career, King captured 39 Grand Slam singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles, including a record 20 Wimbledon championships. Her historic win over Bobby Riggs in the 1973 Battle of the Sexes, is one of the greatest moments in sports history. In June 2022, she received France’s highest order of merit, the Ordre national de la Légion d’honneur, from President Macron, and was inducted into the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee Hall of Fame as a special contributor. Her memoir, ALL IN: An Autobiography, was published by Knopf in 2021 and will be released in paperback in 2023.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) is the world governing body of tennis. Founded in 1913, its purpose is to ensure the long-term growth and sustainability of the sport, delivering tennis for future generations in association with its 210 member nations. The ITF oversees the rules and regulations that govern international and national competition. The ITF is responsible for the worldwide development of tennis through its highly regarded global Development Programme, its Science and Technical department which monitors equipment and technology, and its Officiating department which oversees the education and advancement of officials. The ITF organizes up to 1,500 weeks of men’s, women’s, and junior tournaments on the ITF World Tennis Tour, and manages the ITF junior team competitions, ITF Beach Tennis Tour, UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour and the ITF Seniors Circuit. The ITF is the owner and rightsholder of the men’s and women’s World Cups of Tennis, Davis Cup by Rakuten and Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge respectively, the two largest annual international team competitions in tennis. The ITF manages the Olympic Tennis Event on behalf of the IOC and the Paralympic Tennis Event on behalf of the IPC and the Qualification Pathways for both events at the Games. For further information please visit www.itftennis.com, www.twitter.com/ITF_Tennis, www.Facebook.com/InternationalTennisFederation
