Maria Sharapova is a multitasker.
The former top-ranked tennis star, who retired from the sport in 2020 at the age of 32, has a history of investing in brands she’s passionate about. They include Supergoop, a sun-protection brand she has been involved with since 2014, as well as the fitness brand Tonal, wellness company Therabody, and wearable weights business Bala Bangles. She also joined the board of Moncler last spring.
Now the athlete, entrepreneur and mother can add Wolf & Shepherd to that list.
California-based footwear brand Wolf & Shepherd was founded in 2015 by husband-and-wife Justin and Hope Schneider, who met running track in college at Notre Dame. After graduating, Justin Schneider worked in footwear design at Adidas, Reebok and New Balance and soon saw an opportunity to create a shoe for men that bridged the gap between dress shoes and sneakers. He crafted a prototype, completed a 5K race wearing them, without getting blisters, and launched Wolf & Shepherd. The brand started in men’s and has since expanded into accessories and some hybrid models.
Over the years, the company has brought other sports stars into the fold as investors and advisers including former NBA star Steve Nash, Super Bowl champion Rob Gronkowski and Olympic heptathlete Annie Kunz. But Sharapova’s role is more involved since she is strategically advising the company on design direction and product creation, has joined the board of directors and is working with the company to expand the nascent women’s collection.
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As the story goes, they met two years ago when Sharapova and her mother were walking on Manhattan Beach with her newborn son and noticed Hope Schneider wearing a prototype of the Cruise women’s shoe Wolf & Shepherd was testing.
“As with many of my working relationships, I’m very interested in getting to know what people are doing about their work-life balance — how they handle the modern world, how they go about raising children and having a business,” Sharapova said of the couple, who have five children. “I really enjoyed those early conversations and absolutely loved the product that they were creating.”
One thing led to another and they ultimately decided to work together.
“We’ve always admired and had a lot of respect for how Maria has pursued things on and off the court: as a mother, an entrepreneur, a businesswoman,” said Justin Schneider. “So I think there is a lot of opportunity to unearth those stories together.”
“Maria has a very acute eye and aesthetic that pushes the envelope and challenges us to think about how to make truly differentiated, comfortable and exciting products that are relevant to everyone today,” Schneider said.
Sharapova said in her new role, she will draw on her experience with Supergoop to “be helpful without being a direct brand ambassador.” By investing her own money and serving on the board of Wolf & Shepherd, she believes, “there’s just so much more weight and impact you can have.”
Already, Schneider said, Sharapova has provided some insight in board meetings about how to implement a successful omnichannel strategy as the direct-to-consumer brand explores opening physical stores and expanding its wholesale distribution.
She was also instrumental in the design of the Cruise collection, a new line of smart, casual footwear for men and women that launched in March, and a “heavy influence” in making the forthcoming Ace shoe, scheduled to be released in July, more sophisticated.
“If I’m wearing an elegant Dior suit and I’m not in the mood for a stiletto, this is the shoe I gravitate toward,” she said of the Ace. “And I think that really speaks to our daily life today. Everything should be comfortable and chic, which elevates our confidence.”
Beyond the Ace, there’s more in the pipeline, they said, particularly when it comes to women’s. “I just thought there was a huge opportunity in that space,” Sharapova said.
“We launched Cruise with the idea that we’re going to create a versatile, elevated product line that both men and women can buy,” Schneider said. “And we have a lot of exciting styles and silhouettes they are going to continue to cascade off this line later this year.”
As Wolf & Shepherd continues to expand, is apparel something the team would consider in the future? Well, not right now.
“Slow and steady,” Sharapova said. “Hope and Justin have big goals and dreams, but one day at a time.”
Schneider added: “Our ambitions are big. And that certainly means that when it’s the right time, and when we have those indicators that tell us that this is where we need to be, then we’ll certainly go there. But right now it’s men’s and women’s footwear and accessories.”
Beyond Wolf & Shepherd, Sharapova said she’s also working on a wellness project that will come out this fall.
This story was reported by WWD and originally appeared on WWD.com.
