The growing popularity of tunnel looks worn by NBA and NFL players is undeniable right now. Now, WNBA players have entered the conversation with their intentional looks which at times enmeshes masculine styles with girlish details. Then some players fully lean into masculinity or more feminine detailing for their outfits. Take for instance, A’ja Wilson, a killer hooper who showed up to this year’s WNBA All-Star Game in a custom Burberry outfit: a tennis-esque skirt and a top that felt trendy, but also on brand for her. Wilson, a standout player this season wore sky-high yellow platform heels with her look–white frilly socks were a welcome addition. This look was an ideal blending of a few trends, coquette and a bit of tennis-core, but overall it showcases the validity of women athletes dressing up ahead of games.
The rise of women athletes and their fashion influence is intriguing considering their long-standing dominance in sports. What’s different this year is the level of excitement. Amadi Brooks, a stylist who works with WNBA players, believes that the sports industry used to have a preconceived idea of how players should look, act, and dress. At the moment, this is being dismantled. “I feel that the largest shift has been an increase in the internal confidence and external validation of players expressing the truest version of themselves through their style,” she adds.
At the WNBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix, Brooks’ client, Wilson attended events in custom looks. The Burberry number was just one of the looks she wore. Another was a crochet design by Julie Colquitt–it was reminiscent of a basketball net, but it was more high fashion leaning. Both of these instances turned the carpet and tunnel into a runway of sorts. Beyond athletes turning press appearances into style sessions, Brooks shares that with these outfits we are “getting a glimpse of the players’ personalities off the court, which increases fan engagement.” She also expresses that it sparks lucrative opportunities for brand partnerships and more for the players.
“For the first time in years, we are witnessing a spotlight on Black women in this space not just as athletes but as icons of self-expression and empowerment,” stylist and designer Kristine Anigwe shares. When curating looks with her clients, the most important aspect for her is for them to have a mutual level of trust and for her to be able to offer them a unique perspective. Anigwe works with Olivia Nelson of the Connecticut Sun and Las Vegas Aces’ Tiffany Hayes.
Stylists Marc Desir and VNA Gudino have been enhancing the style of Phoenix Mercury player Kahleah Copper for the past two years. They have also recently started working with Aliyah Boston of the Indiana Fever (Boston is also an Adidas Women’s Basketball athlete). In a video call, they confirmed that doors have opened tremendously for Copper and other clients in the past year due to viral WNBA fashion moments on social media.
“[It’s] important when it comes to working with athletes [to] make sure that their individuality and their story reflects through [each] look.” Here Desir notes that balancing fashion with functionality is critical for him and VNA.
“Kahleah is very fashion-forward,” Desir said. He adds that Copper is regularly open to experimenting with brands, especially Black-owned brands and emerging companies–notably, this is what he often spends his time researching, emailing, and pulling for Copper and their roster. VNA expresses that Aliyah’s instinctual fashion preferences are cutesy and girly and that she is a product of Gen Z.
The evolution of Copper’s style has led her to confidently wear pieces by Luar, PH5, Alexander Wang, and Alexander McQueen during this year’s basketball season–she is now also getting invited to New York Fashion Week presentations, according to Marc. The Luar look that she wore to the tunnel at All-Star Weekend was eccentric, but it evoked a playful nature that is indicative of Copper’s approach to fashion. Marc mentioned that this fashion moment felt like a full circle for him as he had attended the recent Fall/Winter 2024 presentation by Raul Lopez, the designer behind Luar.
“We [saw] that look and we knew that that would be the moment for Kah. It was a little different than her [typical] pants or the oversized T-shirts that she does,” he said. “But it was still a moment because she was showing legs and there was an oversized jacket with a tie on.” He adds it was her but elevated.
One player to watch is Chelsea Gray, a Las Vegas Aces guard, who consistently expresses herself through her unique sense of style. As an Adidas Women’s Basketball athlete, she often incorporates Adidas pieces into her pre-game outfits, particularly relying on Y-3. During All-Star Weekend, she mentioned that she prefers to wear suits because of her height, standing at 5’11”.
From Gray’s lens, these sartorial moments and the hyperfocus on them are due to a few factors. “What’s allowing people to see it is the visibility and the access, TV and social media are allowing you access into putting fashion with sport,” Gray said. Describing her style as feminine with masculine tendencies Gray enjoys mixing different fabrics and combing oversized pieces with tighter clothing.
One woman who is dedicated to highlighting women in sports is Velissa Vaughn, a native of Pittsburgh and the person behind the @wnbatunnel Instagram account. Vaughn, the founder of JXV Collective, a Los Angeles-based agency, felt the need for this page, so she took a leap of faith and created it at the beginning of this year. She shares in person in Phoenix ahead of the busy All-Star weekend that the account is an homage to the WNBA players and the looming pay gap they grapple with.
“I remember when I had 500 followers,” Vaughn said. She mentioned that some posts of A’ja Wilson and Sophie Cunningham went viral earlier this year and her page hasn’t stopped gaining followers since then. “I watched an Instagram account go from zero to 20,000 followers in under five weeks.”
Vaughn has a master’s degree in fashion marketing from LIM College and previously worked at DSquared, where she led VIP partnerships. Her background in fashion and her experience as a former Division 1 basketball player at Youngstown State University make her well-suited to showcase the stylish outfits of women in the WNBA. Vaughn not only highlights the current trends in the league but also produces videos breaking down players’ outfits. She collaborates with stylists to ensure that the athletes’ pre-game looks are on point.
Legitimizing the women who show up to games in more than just sweatpants and T-shirts by documenting their style, Vaughn tells me that this isolated and exciting moment they’re living through is about women being able to use their personal style to further themselves financially. The agency owner says it gives them an opportunity to express themselves in a newer way too.
Sheryl Swoopes, the legendary former professional basketball player, and four-time WNBA champion shares over a call from Houston that she is invigorated and excited about the eyes on this current crop of hoopers. “Being the first player to have signed with the WNBA [in 1997], I don’t know if I ever thought we would see this day, and not just about the money, but the viewership [too],” she says.
Swoopes explains that the WNBA feels like her child, and she’s proud of all of the growth she’s seeing firsthand. “I had my son [at] the same time that the WNBA started. So I feel like I have two kids, and as a parent, as a mom, you’re always happy and you’re always proud to see your kids succeed.” She excitedly exclaims that when she saw the newly announced WNBA 11-year media rights deal reported by ESPN that was $2.2 billion she felt it should’ve been more. But, she does recognize that is how far the W has come.
“When I see the eyes, I see people talking about it every single day. When First Take and Sports Center [are] leading with the WNBA, you shouldn’t think that we made it, but I’ll say then you know we made it, right, because that has never happened,” Swoopes explains. “There are so many other things they would rather talk about than talk about women playing basketball,” she adds.
Notably, she says that social media has opened the horizon for current players and athletes. Especially, for those who are seeking brand sponsorships. On endorsement deals, she shares: “As a player who had endorsement deals, I can tell you I am so excited to see the growth and to see players signing $1 million contracts because that didn’t happen when we played.”
When tasked with sharing insights about being an innovator for women athletes who have signature sneakers, Swoopes divulges interesting notions. “Having a signature shoe is special. Having a signature shoe means something. I cannot wait for A’ja Wilson’s shoe to come out. I will be the first in line to get it because I think it’s long overdue.”
She mentioned that when she got her signature shoe with Nike and became the first professional female basketball player to have one, she told those close to her that she didn’t think the sneaker was solely about her performance on the court. Swoopes believed it was more about how fans were able to relate to her.
“When I think about all the athletes since my signature shoe that now have signature shoes or signature shoes in the making, I’m excited, because to me, what that says is there are brands who are finally jumping on board,” Sheryl said. She expresses that brands are seeing the product and how smart it is to back a player in that capacity. Here Swoopes name-drops a few players who are getting a signature shoe including the Indiana Fever’s Caitlyn Clark and the New York Liberty’s Breanna Stewart. “Angel Reese is getting a line with Reebok,” Swoopes added on the Chicago Sky player.
Sheryl points out that while there is a lot of emphasis and praise on the current rookie class with stars like Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark, it is also important to pay attention to the women who are excelling in the WNBA right now.
“Can we also praise the vets that have been in the league? A’ja Wilson is playing out of her mind right now. No one’s even close to where she is, but that’s a testament to all of the work that these women put in every single day,” Swoope notes.
All of the sentiments Swoopes shared ring loudly. Not just on the business front, but regarding style the women of the WNBA have ushered in one of their most exhilarating chapters. Fashion-wise it’s been compelling to see in real-time–stylists and players are in tune with one another which makes this era intentional, but also invigorating. The latter is making a compelling case for how thrilling it can be when a newer audience fixates its attention on athletic prowess but also women expressing their innermost selves through key designs, sneakers, and other pieces that evoke eccentricity or modernity.
