Serena Williams spent two decades amassing a fortune on the tennis court via racking up 23 grand slam trophies. The younger Williams sister raked up $94.8 million in on-court earnings, the most by any female tennis player.
Throughout her trophy-laden career, the queen of tennis has also been the ambassador for brands like Puma and Nike. Since her retirement, she has invested extra energy into her off-court entrepreneurial ambitions. Her venture capital firm, Serena Ventures, supports tech businesses from marginalised communities. She also works as a fashion designer, actress and investor. Her clothing company, S by Serena, aims to produce unique fashion products based on her style.
What is Serena Williams Designer Crew?
In April 2004, Serena Williams signed a deal with Nike worth $40 million. She has developed products designed for athletes and sports lovers.
“When I step on the court, I definitely want to stand out. I’m Serena and I like to be different. I just like taking a chance when it comes to design.”, Serena said.
In 2019, Nike and Serena Williams decided to work together on a project wherein they would select 10 upcoming designers from underrepresented background to develop a fresh, unique Serena Williams inspired collection. The 10 designers were selected based on a rigorous process with help from fashion houses and schools and given 18 months to showcase their designs. The bunch of trend-setters together are known as the Serena Williams Designer Crew.
“They(designers) took it to a place where I could never have seen it; that was just really exciting,” Williams said.
The collection includes daily wear clothing, inner wear, footwear and fashion accessories, made and built with a unique sense of personalising products in the style of Serena Williams.
“I feel like they were able to communicate my aesthetics very well through the silhouettes and patterns that they brought and in the colours as well,” Williams says. “It’s something really fun. It’s definitely bold. And it’s definitely different—but it’s also very wearable. I think that’s also really important.” she added.
Products incorporate aspects of Serena’s personal life such as her daughter’s initials and her record-breaking 23 grand slam titles.
Serena Williams to launch new items in collaboration with Nike
The Serena Williams Design Crew, in collaboration with Nike, has displayed their assortment of fashion products for the fall season.
Nike and Serena Williams took to Instagram to unveil their products. On Thursday, September 14, both accounts posted, in tandem, a video and different images of their products. The product range showcased included women’s shorts, a zip fleece top for women, a duffel bag and the debut of the Nike Air Huarache. The products effectively captured the atmosphere of the fall season as well as being exclusively in the style of Serena Williams.
Ever since her partnership with Nike began in 2004, Serena Williams has worked closely to ensure the designers maintain a standard of high quality whilst simultaneously ensuring her bank balance gets a boost through sales and advertisements.
Post her marriage to Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian, and her retirement, Serena has actively involved herself in extending her off-court legacy through business ventures and entrepreneurial partnerships.
In her astounding career, Serena held the most women’s grand slam titles in the Open Era. She also held the world no.1 ranking for a remarkable 319 weeks and holds the record for being the only person to complete a career Grand Slam in both singles and doubles.
Being a tennis player, a businesswoman and a mother, Serena Williams sure knows how to juggle multiple professions and succeed in every one of them. What are your opinions on the new collection from The Serena Williams Designer Crew? Let us know in the comments section below.
