The tennis star says her first collection was inspired by groundbreaking women like her mother, sister Venus, and “even Anna Wintour”
Serena Williams may not have won the Grand Slam at the US Open, but the tennis player is certainly holding court for the debut of her S by Serena Williams collection at New York Fashion Week.
S by Serena Williams celebrates the groundbreaking women who break limits, boundaries and tradition, according to the press release—and yes, this even includes Vogue U.S. editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour. "She’s broken so many boundaries and she’s so brave and so amazing and wow. These are women that I really look up to,” the designer told Elle.com in a statement.
The inspiration for the looks themselves stemmed from ‘90s street fashion, including iconic models Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and “actually even look at her daughter Kaia who’s just doing beyond amazing and I’m obsessed. I love her,” Williams said.
That ‘90s street fashion inspiration translated into bodycon purple zebra print, neon rompers, tailored plaid suiting, leopard print wrap dresses, and even a lime green trench coat.
The models walking the runway were also particularly noteworthy. Shown on a range of body types, Williams noted that inclusivity was of the greatest importance while designing her collection—which ranges in size from XS to 3X. “We call our larger sizes ‘Great.’ We just want everyone to know that some pieces are exclusively ‘Great’ so ‘Great’ can feel ‘Great’ in their own pieces.”
“It was important for me to create different things for different people and different body types,” Williams continued, “I like the word inclusivity as opposed to exclusive because I feel like when you’re inclusive, it just makes a difference and it’s where we should be heading more now.”