Sephora Teams Up With WNBA's Golden State Valkyries

Forbes

09-04-2025

Sephora has engaged in a multi-year partnership with the WNBA team, Golden State Valkyries, shifting ... More the narrative around sports marketing.
In a landmark move that signals a shift in women's sports marketing, Sephora has announced a multi-year founding partnership with the WNBA's newest franchise, the Golden State Valkyries. "Athletes today have transcended being defined solely by their competitive performance. Audiences want to understand the person behind the athlete, their style choices, self-expression, and their authentic brand. This partnership allows us to tell those complete stories that celebrate the whole person," said Zena Srivatsa Arnold, Chief Marketing Officer of Sephora, U.S.
"What really matters here is seeing major global brands like Sephora making significant, meaningful commitments to women's sports. This level of investment from iconic brands signals a fundamental shift in how women's sports are valued in the marketplace," stated Jess Smith, President of Golden State Valkyries. Both companies share core values of empowerment, authenticity, and community building. The partnership emphasizes seeing athletes as complete people with influence beyond sports, not just as performers on the court. As Bay Area-based companies with deep connections to local communities, Sephora and the Valkyries have a natural geographical alignment that strengthens their collaborative potential and shared audience. "Our players inspire confidence in so many ways, and Sephora gets that connection between empowering our players to always feel their best on and off the court," explains Smith.
Srivatsa Arnold discussed how she established a dedicated team partnership group at Sephora to specifically address the need in the marketplace for brands to express their values through authentic actions. In an exclusive interview, she outlined how these partnerships had to align with the Sephora brand ethos. "We established three essential criteria for any successful partnership: First, it must align with our core values. Second, it needs to be more than just a logo slap—we want to authentically showcase Sephora's differentiators and values through meaningful activations. Third, the partnership should be both enjoyable and impactful, creating experiences that resonate with our audience," said Srivatsa Arnold.
Blending her experience in packaged goods with her Google's tech innovation mindset, Zena Srivatsa ... More Arnold, CMO of Sephora U.S. revolutionizes Sephora's marketing through authentic partnerships.
Sephora's strategic approach to women's sports partnerships was demonstrated earlier through their January 2025 multiyear agreement with Unrivaled, the professional women's basketball league. As the exclusive beauty partner, Sephora integrated deeply into the league experience by outfitting Unrivaled's glam room, providing curated beauty products for players throughout the season, and securing prominent visibility through on-court signage and in the player arrival hall.
"As a marketer, I firmly believe that to reach consumers today, especially Gen Z, you need to go beyond typical advertising and media. People are increasingly looking for brands that engage in meaningful ways and clearly express their values through substantive actions in the world," expressed Srivatsa Arnold. The Sephora and Golden State Valkyries partnership recognizes that athletes have become more than just their competitive performance in today's culture. Fans are increasingly interested in players' personal styles and lives beyond the court. By focusing on these aspects, the collaboration creates opportunities to highlight players' personal journeys, showcasing them as multifaceted individuals whose influence extends beyond athletics. "Our players are so excited because this partnership sees them as whole people, not just athletes. They're excited about connecting with fans through beauty and lifestyle moments," adds Smith.
Sephora secured naming rights to the Golden State Valkyries state-of-the-art Sephora Performance ... More Center in Oakland, CA, representing a significant investment in the partnership.
The 31,800-square-foot Sephora Performance Center features branded courts, locker rooms, conditioning areas, and practice jerseys. Additionally, the creation of a Sephora Sounds DJ booth supports underrepresented artists, further extending the partnership's impact beyond basketball. "What we're seeing is a fundamental shift away from beauty being about impressing others toward being about personal self-expression. This aligns perfectly with women's sports, where the audience spans all demographics but shares that common passion for excellence and authentic competition," said Srivatsa Arnold.
Sephora Kiosks placed in Chase Center during games allow fans to purchase beauty products while enjoying the game experience. This is especially important in cities and towns where customers may not have easy access to a Sephora store. The collaboration strategically targets Gen Z and younger consumers who view beauty as a form of self-expression rather than aspiration. This shifting perspective aligns perfectly with the growing popularity of women's basketball and increased media coverage of women's sports. "Both of us (Sephora and Golden State Valkyries) care deeply about empowering women to be their authentic selves. We're also both Bay Area-based companies with deep ties to these communities," said Smith.
By using beauty as a vehicle for community building and authentic connection, Sephora taps into the cultural zeitgeist where fans seek deeper, more meaningful relationships with both the brands they support and the athletes they admire."We view beauty as a vehicle for both self-expression and community building. The connections people form through our content demonstrate that beauty has evolved to become much more about creating meaningful relationships, which is incredibly exciting from both a brand and cultural perspective," said Srivatsa Arnold.
The Sephora-Valkyries partnership exemplifies a growing trend of brands forming meaningful connections with sports organizations and empowerment initiatives. Similar to Madison Reed's approach, beauty companies are increasingly recognizing the power of authentic alignment with women-centered organizations and causes. Sports partnerships extend beyond the beauty industry and many are centered around local community support. The recent partnership between the Minnesota Timberwolves and fintech company Sezzle showcases how both companies created a locally rooted partnership with broader significance.
Both the Sezzle-Timberwolves and Sephora-Valkyries collaborations demonstrate the power of geographical alignment coupled with shared values, proving that the most impactful sports partnerships today go far beyond traditional sponsorship models to create authentic community connections. These partnerships represent a significant shift in marketing strategy where brands are positioning their products and services not just as commercial offerings but as extensions of personal empowerment and community building.
The Sephora-Golden State Valkyries partnership represents a watershed moment in women's sports marketing. By focusing on authentic connections rather than traditional sponsorship models, this collaboration establishes a new blueprint for how brands can meaningfully engage with women's sports. The emphasis on celebrating athletes as complete individuals with influence beyond their athletic performance creates opportunities for deeper fan connections and more impactful brand storytelling. contributes to the broader cultural shift in how women's sports are perceived, valued, and marketed in today's diverse entertainment landscape.