Madison Reed has its eye on Gen Z — and who better to help reach the cohort than Paige Bueckers?
The college basketball star — who is poised to be the number-one pick in the 2025 WNBA draft — is one of four UConn players the hair color brand has tapped to help launch ColorWonder, its first demi-permanent hair dye.
Bueckers and fellow guard Azzi Fudd will serve as long-term ambassadors and impact advisers to Madison Reed, while forward Ice Brady and rising freshman Morgan Cheli will front the new launch alongside the pair.
“I’m huge on expressing myself in different ways,” said Bueckers, who counts more than 4.8 million combined followers on TikTok and Instagram, in an exclusive interview with WWD. “Being able to inspire the next generation of athletes and younger kids to be confident in expressing themselves in different ways, and not have to fit into a box — those are values I share with Madison Reed.”
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Coming in 16 blue, black, “bronde” and rosé shades, to name a few, ColorWonder retails for $34 and purports to last up to 25 washes, aiming to offer a low-commitment alternative to the hair salon for younger consumers, or those who simply want to experiment.
Madison Reed founder — and UConn alum — Amy Errett anticipates ColorWonder alone could be a $50 million business within the next few years.
“Our products, traditionally, have been focused around covering gray hair,” said the founder and chief executive officer, adding that ColorWonder opens the door for consumers “to start coloring with Madison Reed when you’re 24 and keep on coloring with us until you’re 75 — that’s a powerful brand promise.”
The partnership marks a first beauty ambassadorship for Bueckers, who has previously teamed with brands including Nike, StockX and Chegg.
“I’m excited to get some fan engagement with ColorWonder — maybe do some surveys on my stories for [what colors to try],” said the 22-year-old point guard, who dons a signature braided-ponytail hairstyle on game days. “I want to make it a collaborative decision between me and everybody who supports me.”
As part of the partnership, Madison Reed is sponsoring UConn’s Gampel Pavilion and XL Center for the next three years, making it the first female-founded, grad-founded brand with court naming rights at UConn.
Internships with Madison Reed for class credits at UConn are also in the works, and the athletes are to receive equity in the company. “I wanted very much for this to be a holistic partnership; I have a deep belief that many female athletes don’t have a lot of opportunities after they retire, and so I wanted to make sure that we were creating those opportunities,” said Errett, who will also offer Bueckers and Fudd the opportunity to franchise Madison Reed Color Bars — of which there are 92 — if the company moves forward with franchising.
“[Name, image and likeness] deals are interesting things — these young people are starting to be compensated heavily; they need good mentors and role models, and we’re excited to have a small part in their story,” she said.
As for how Bueckers is gearing up for the final season of her college career?
“It’s been my first healthy offseason since entering college — just honing in on my weaknesses, continuing to find the holes in my game to try and minimize them and get better at what I’m already good at — mixing that with traveling and just enjoying the summer,” she said.
