Serena Williams Marks Return to WTA Tour With Debut of Nike Dress Inspired By Classic Design Lines From the 1940's

Serena Williams Marks Return to WTA Tour With Debut of Nike Dress Inspired By
Classic Design Lines From the 1940's 


MIAMI, March 26  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Serena Williams makes her 2004 WTA
Tour debut Friday at the NASDAQ-100 Open as the tournament's top seed and
two-time defending champion.  William's return will mark her competitive debut
since working with Nike and provides a first look at her custom-designed Nike
tennis dress inspired by classic design lines of the 1940's.

(Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19990818/NIKELOGO )

For its first collaboration with Serena, Nike created custom apparel featuring
premium performance fabrications specifically designed to meet her performance
needs, while reflecting her sense of style andglamour.  In addition to the
dress and satin warm ups, Serena will wear Nike's new performance footwear, the
Air Max Breathe Free II in a special custom color throughout the tournament. The
Air Max Breathe Free II combines innovative design and materials to create one
of the most breathable, comfortable and durable tennis shoes for the elite
player.

"I am excited to return to tennis and I can't wait to get out there and play,"
said Serena Williams.  "For my first tournament, I met with Nike and shared some
of my ideas and they were able to design a beautiful custom dress that has a
breathable silver corset and satin skirt and I love it."

"We knew when we started working with Serena we needed to design an ensemble
that delivers the performance benefits Nike is known for, but that captures
Serena's sense of style," said Mindy Grossman, Vice President of Global Apparel
for Nike.  "The dress Serena will be wearing for her debut combines innovative
design with glamour and style inspired by screen legends of the 1940s."

Dri-FIT Satin Dress

Like the cover-up, Serena's dress is constructed of a unique satin blend Dri-FIT
fabric, with a breathable stretch silver "corset" and silver piping for
additional fit and support.

Dri-FIT Satin Cover-up

Serena will wear an elegant, full-zip Satin Cover-up over her dress.  It is
constructed of a unique satin blend Dri-FIT fabric, with breathable stretch
silver "corset" that reflects the classic design lines of the 1940s.

All the innovative materials and Dri-FIT moisture management technology used to
create Serena's custom apparel can be found in current in-line Nike Tennis
apparel.

Still only 22, Serena has won every Grand Slam tournament and holds a total of
14 Grand Slam titles, including six singles titles.  Serena is also among those
rare athletes who transcend the game to become an inspiration to those beyond
the world of sports and into the world of style and design.

About Nike

Nike, Inc. based in Beaverton, Oregon is the world's leading designer, marketer
and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and
accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly owned
Nike subsidiaries include Converse Inc., which designs, markets and distributes
athletic footwear, apparel and accessories; Bauer NIKE Hockey Inc., a leading
designer and distributor of hockey equipment; Cole Haan(R), which designs,
markets, and distributes fine dress and casual shoes and accessories; and Hurley
International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes action sports and
youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories. 

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19990818/NIKELOGO

http://photoarchive.ap.org/

DATASOURCE: Nike, Inc.



CONTACT:  Kellie Leonard of Nike, [phone], or





Web site:  http://www.nikebiz.com/

Copyright