Tennis – US Open – Flushing Meadows, NY, USA – Serena Williams of the United States before the third round against Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia on September 2, 2022 REUTERS/Mike Segar
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NEW YORK, Sept 3 (Reuters) – From glossy magazine covers to a generation-defining court style, Serena Williams took a bow at Friday’s U.S. Open as she rewrote the fashion playbook for female athletes , and established his own empire.
The 23-time Grand Slam winner opted for women’s fashion bible Vogue, announcing she’s “moving away from tennis,” before hitting the court in her dazzling Nike sneakers at the US Open this week under the gaze of the magazine. Dame, Anna Wintour.
The competitive Queens queen, who is widely regarded as having a strong performance in her final bout, lost in the third round to Ajla Tomljanovic 7-5 6-7 (4) 6-1, her legacy as a cultural icon Steadfast on the contrary.
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“Style and sport have always been closely linked, but no athlete has embraced the power of fashion like Serena Williams,” Footwear News executive editor Katie Abel told Reuters.
“On and off the field, she never shies away from the appearance of pushing boundaries and always knows how to get the message across, even if it’s controversial.”
She competed in a denim skirt at Flushing Meadows in 2004 and badminton at Roland Garros in 2018, wearing a black bodysuit to keep her blood circulating after a blood clot developed in the days following childbirth.
Williams supporters shouted a foul after organisers said they would ban bodysuits on their clay court. “When it comes to fashion, you don’t want to be a repeat offender,” Williams quipped to The Associated Press.
Katie Lebel, a researcher and assistant professor of gender equality in sports at the University of Guelph, said the moment became an instant classic, showing she could use fashion to disrupt the status quo.
“Sexism is very pervasive when it comes to womenswear…and this is especially true of expectations about what a female athlete should look like,” she said.
“Going into Serena, she was against it all. I think she’s really reconsidered the standard for women in tennis.”
Serena and her sister Venus brought the black style to a predominantly white sport when they first played professionally in the 1990s, and were criticized for wearing beaded braids during competitions.
Williams wore the style when she won her first major in New York. This year, a photo of daughter Olympia with the same braids in the stands in Flushing Meadows caused an instant hit.
“From the moment Serena and her sister Venus stepped onto the court with their signature braids…they have been role models for Black women and aspiring female athletes everywhere,” Abel said.
“Gorgeous Grand Slam”
Williams’ friendship with the late Louis Vuitton artistic director Virgil Abloh resulted in one of her most memorable U.S. Open ensembles, wearing a ballerina-inspired Nike jersey in 2018, when she came very close to winning A record 24th Grand Slam title, but missed the final.
While her U.S. Open is over, she’s just getting started in New York, where she’s scheduled to preview her new look for her S by Serena label at “Glam Slam” on September 18. The 12th coincides with New York Fashion Week.
Her retirement from competitive sports is expected to have little impact on her brand value — and Nike plans to continue its partnership with the 40-year-old.read more
“Williams may be retiring from tennis, but I guess her influence on fashion is just beginning. Without her grueling training program, I think she would have had more time and energy to focus on the field,” W Magazine Said fashion director Nora Milch.
A true fashion mogul off the court, Serena was appointed to the board of shopping app Poshmark in 2019, and she has opened her own wardrobe alongside items from Olympia and sold to customers on the fashion marketplace.
Manish Chandra, founder and CEO of Poshmark, said Williams, with her unique voice and perspective, has inspired several other female entrepreneurs to sell on the app.
“As a champion of women’s empowerment, Serena has always led with love and helped ensure our Poshmark community is front and center in everything we do,” Chandra told Reuters.
“Her achievements and vision in business, fashion and entrepreneurship make her a perfect fit for our board… She leads with humility, kindness and authenticity.”
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Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York and Dhruv Munjal in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Rory Carroll in New York; Editing by William Mallard
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