Hair color brand Madison Reed is doubling down on women’s basketball in more ways than one.
One year after initially joining forces with the UConn Huskies and tapping star players such as Paige Bueckers — now a WNBA point guard for the Dallas Wings — for its inaugural Team ColorWonder campaign, the brand has tapped Huskies forward Sarah Strong and her mother, Allison Feaster, for the campaign’s second edition.
Strong, a sophomore at UConn, was the number-one player in the 2024 women’s college basketball recruiting class; Feaster, meanwhile, played college ball at Harvard University before playing in the WNBA and abroad for a combined 27 seasons. Now, she is vice president of team operations and organizational growth for the NBA’s Boston Celtics.
“It’s indescribable on so many levels to see the visibility women’s sports is now getting,” said Feaster. “All the work that those who came before me have put in, I got to benefit from, and now to see my daughter on this world stage, culminating in beautiful partnerships like this one with Madison Reed and so many other organizations who invest in women — I’m emotional about it.”
The deal marks a first beauty partnership for Strong, who has otherwise signed NIL (name, image and likeness) deals with the offseason basketball league, Unrivaled, and nonprofit organization, Bleed Blue for Good.
“I’m feeling ready,” said Strong of heading into her second college basketball season next month. “Being able to have one year of experience under my belt, I’m feeling way more experienced, more confident and just very excited.”
Strong’s and Feaster’s Madison Reed partnership marks the first mother-daughter deal in NIL history, roughly four years after the National Collegiate Athletic Association passed its initial ruling allowing college athletes to earn money from sponsorships in 2021.
The 2025-2026 Team ColorWonder roster, including Feaster, Strong and fellow Huskies players Azzi Fudd, KK Arnold, Ice Brady, Morgan Cheli and Caroline Ducharme.
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In addition to fronting the brand’s $30 ColorWonder demi-permanent hair dyes alongside Strong’s fellow Huskies players, Strong and Feaster will have access to equity stakes in the Madison Reed business, opportunities to franchise Madison Reed Hair Color Bars (of which there are 97), and Strong will be able to internship with Madison Reed for class credit.
“Beauty is one of those things that moms and daughters can always do together,” said Madison Reed founder Amy Errett, a UConn alum who named her brand after her own daughter, Madison. “This is a very unique moment in college sports, and Allison felt strongly that giving Sarah access to mentorship was important. What [young athletes] need most is for brands to invest in them holistically.”
“The beauty of this relationship is that it’s grounded in empowerment,” Feaster added.
The partnership also aligns with Madison’s Reed aim toward multigenerational appeal.
“When we [teamed with UConn] last year, we thought all we were going to get was exposure to a Gen Z audience. What blew our minds was that awareness soared with both Gen Z and their mothers; Gen Z wanted to use ColorWonder because they look up to these players, but also their moms cared, too, because those are their kids,” said Errett.
Madison Reed, now a nine-figure business, has been on a hot streak in recent years. The brand offers its at-home hair color offerings on Amazon, direct-to-consumer, and in more than 3,800 doors including Walmart, Ulta Beauty, Target, Sally Beauty and its own color bars. It most recently entered Mexico City in September with Ulta. Next, it will enter the retailer’s upcoming stores in Leon, Guadalajara and Tijuana.
