Entertainment
How Stylists Help WNBA Players Improve Their Looks – Andscape

There are more eyes on the WNBA this season than ever before. The increased visibility also brought more attention to the players themselves, including their style. According to , the W Tunnel became the “hottest runway of the year,” and he stated that “officially a fashion destination.”
Nowadays, brands are demanding cooperation with WNBA players. More and more often, female players are hiring stylists to assist them look their best, and athletes like Angel Reese, Cameron BrinkSkylar Diggins-Smith and DiJonai Carrington are each legitimate fashion icons. But so are players who wear more masculine or androgynous clothing, like Arike Ogunbowale, Courtney Williams and Diamond DeShields, whose looks don’t get the eye or praise they deserve.
“Sometimes when we look at female athletes, we assume that fashionable means ‘feminine,’ and a lot of the WNBA players who present themselves more masculinely actually have style,” said Amadi Brooks of Styling by Amadi B.who works with Sydney Colson and A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces. “That’s the beautiful thing about the W — it’s such a broad scope.”
Styling masculine women is an art form in itself, and curating fashionable looks that transcend traditionally feminine silhouettes takes thought and intention. Players like Connecticut Sun star Alyssa Thomas are elevating their fashion this yr with stylists who help them achieve that, while others have been doing it quietly for years.
“Having a stylist isn’t as niche anymore, and it doesn’t have to be a secret,” Brooks said.
“Until this year we were only here on business, you know?” Thomas said “We used to come in to do our job… But now when we put on clothes and stop to take a picture, people are so fascinated by it, and I mean, I’m super into it.”
The WNBA has probably the most gender-diverse sense of fashion almost every other skilled sports league on the planet, and that is a part of what makes W unique. “The WNBA fan subculture respects and celebrates men’s fashion choices without stripping these players of their femininity,” Lauren Hindman, Ajhanai Keaton, and Nefertiti Walker wrote in . But it happens all too often that players whose style is highlighted by the media are those whose clothing tends to evolve to conventionally feminine standards and modes of self-expression.
The WNBA players have fought hard to be themselves on and off the court. As the WNBA grows in popularity, it’s much more necessary to make sure that visible queerness and gender diversity of the league usually are not erased. Helping players find a mode that’s true to who they’re is vital, not just for their very own comfort, but additionally for his or her performance on the court.
“I want to make sure I stay true to the athlete,” Brooks said of her approach to dressing her clients, who include NBA and WNBA players. “That’s even more important when you’re working with an athlete, because their confidence going into a big moment like a game can affect them, so you don’t want them to feel out of their body or not being themselves.”
Marisa Ripepi Marisa Styled dressed Connecticut Sun star Alyssa Thomas (together along with her teammate and fiancée DeWanna Bonner) for the reason that starting of this season. Ripepi stressed how necessary comfort is for somebody like Thomas, and that is where her choice of items begins.
“When we started working together, she told me she really admired Devin Booker’s style,” Ripepi said. “Alyssa’s style is comfortable and stylish, but casual. We always try to take it up a notch.”
For Ripepi, that meant slowly getting Thomas to try latest things. They style one another every month, and Ripepi said Thomas’ outfits began to evolve over the course of the season, as denim set She appeared within the Sun’s match against the Los Angeles Sparks on June 18.
“When she first came to me and said she wanted a certain look, I would give her exactly that so she knew I understood her vision,” Ripepi said. “But as we worked together for a while and built trust, that’s when I started throwing in more stuff. The goal is to elevate the look, but for her style.”
Some players, like Washington Mystics point guard Brittney “Slim” Sykes, don’t have any problem pushing the boundaries in terms of what they wear, but they need skilled guidance on which direction to go. “She likes to expand her horizons and try new things,” says Sykes’ stylist, Juwan Williams of Styling: Cozhe said. “I love it when someone likes to be open to new things.”
Williams, who has been working with Sykes for several seasons, said the push into streetwear helped her find her voice. Her confidence grew as she learned to decorate her body and see positive feedback on her outfits, including last season in GQ Sports“Now that she’s a little more confident, she consults with me about fittings,” Williams said. “She chooses her own outfits, and I approve them.”
Another key to styling women in men’s clothing is all the time being attentive to fit—and having a very good tailor on speed dial. “Although (we can) dress Syd in men’s clothing, we have to be picky about how the clothes fit her waist,” Brooks said. “What fits a man’s thigh might not fit a woman, so we might have to go up a size and change her waist, for example.”
Brooks said that working with Colson is fun because her style is a combination of masculinity and femininity. She cited Sheila Rashid’s Jumpsuit which Colson wore to the Aces’ May 25 game against the Indiana Fever for example of this duality. Colson had previously worn more androgynous looks on game day and decided to vary that as much as be unpredictable. So they decided to wear her topless under Colson’s cropped blazer, giving it a female twist.
What Colson wears is just as necessary as what she wears. “It’s important to Syd to represent both sides of masculinity and femininity, but also to highlight underrepresented brands, Black-owned brands,” Brooks said. “She’s mindful of that and would rather highlight those brands than the typical big fashion brands.”
But for a lot of players, having a stylist is about greater than just looking good. Many athletes have their very own innate sense of fashion and may do an incredible job dressing, but putting together outfits takes mental energy and time. An expert athlete’s schedule is already exhausting and demanding, and having a stylist can allow players to delegate their outfits to another person.
“A lot of players want to look their best, and maybe that means getting a stylist to take some of that pressure off of them, but they still feel good about how they look,” Brooks said. “People don’t consider how much time having a stylist can save them, but for some of my clients it’s one less thing to think about on game day.”
Entertainment
Why a’ja Wilson is bigger than just the next release of sneakers – and scape

The recent Sneaker Nike A’one and the accompanying clothing line come for a very long time.
On the pitch, three -time awards and dominance of WNBA MVP and Las Vegas Aces are undeniable. Her attention to detail in every element of her game is that she flourished from the first skilled profession basket. Now she has set herself to the same success in the sneakers industry.
Early questions arose why the release lasted so long, but Nike left nothing. They spent almost two years in the trenches, ensuring that every aspect of the release was made at the highest level.
Now this expectation pays off.
As the release date approached, and Scape talked to women specializing in sneakers, fashion, sport and culture about their feelings on the signature line, Nike marketing plan and the historical importance of A’ja Wilson’s release.
Nike
The two -time WNBA master cooperated with the footwear designer Nike Ben Nethongome to create a’one for convenience and versatility. The silhouette has the Cushlon 3.0 central sole, which is a stronger base for response and smooth, cushioned landings. The pattern of adhesion on the outer sole allows the rims to make cuts and rotation without devoting precision.
A’ONES technical features are impressive, but personal data give the personality of shoes.
A’ONE finishes pay tribute to the pearl necklace, Grandma Wilson gave her as a toddler. Inspired by a pearl protecting a coat, the design has a robust, breathable upper part, Phylon middle carrier and a lightweight outer sole, which together sway cushion cushioning.

Other personal accents include a sentence from her 2021 essay Tribune And Celtic symbols at the back of the shoe language representing the names of parents, Roscoe and Eva Wilson.
The “Pink A’ura” version is a special color “before heating”, the term uses Nike to explain the color scheme or design theme in signatures and is related to a singular element of the story for the player. Pink A’ura is described as “flushing Leo energy and illuminates the pitch in her favorite color.” Another detail includes “A” of her signature, referring to her role “A1”.

Nike
“I am excited from it, especially knowing the album she has in WNBA and how he likes to combine athletics with fashion. He is probably one of the best-dressed people in WNBA,” he said Ashley HallCreator of the content from Philadelphia and co -host Only table who previously worked with Nike and Fenta. Hall is not going to rim, but she likes the figure and colours, believing that the living pink was “a really good idea on her part and her favorite color.”
The color construction has also caught the attention of the recent Host Seattle Storm Kayce Crescent. “I love that she dropped a pink pair first, because it wasn’t like the colors of her band,” she said. Kirihara was a fashion and sneaker, who hosted the events of NBA and WNBA, before she brought her management Storm.
“It seems to me that this is quite a cult dropping of the first characteristic sneakers in colors, which probably not many people expected,” she said.
Debut colours a’one is not an accident. The former debutant of the 12 months WNBA put her hands on every aspect of the project and was surprised by how often the team put it off during this process. “In fact, they look at me:” What do you desire to sell? You have a pen to your notebook. What do you desire to do? ” – she said . This is the reason why A’ones tell their story so professionally.
“As for the shoes of every athlete, I really want to feel that they are in the shoe,” said Taja “TJ” Keasal, host Sneaker Talks with TJ. She read Wilson’s book and believes that having more intimate knowledge about the Golden Olympic medalist makes the tennisian more unique.
“Her parents were turned on. Certainly her grandmother is turned on. I just love that the shoes attract so many of them, who makes A’ja, a’ja, to the shoe,” she said. “We don’t have to guess. We don’t have to wonder. It is extremely designed by it.”

Nike
Nike marketing plan on this trip before heatingwhich consisted of stores popping up throughout March and April in Las Vegas, Tampa, Florida, and Columbia, Karolina, where she appeared at the University of South Carolina. In each location, Sneakerheads could buy a shoe before a wider retail version. It could appear obvious to revive the family hero to the debut of her characteristic line, but more enthusiasm has been added to release.
Olivia Irick is from South Carolina, who attended a jumping window in her family state. She waited in the queue for 3 hours to get some of the first pairs of A’one, having fun with the event that released a big selection of Sneakerheads and Wilson fans.
“(To see) people camping and lining up around the block, because these shoes were simply something beautiful for (witness), especially (a woman) with their own characteristic shoes,” said Irick. “It was a good time for the city’s culture and sneakers.” Wilson participated in the event, signed posters for youngsters and took pictures with fans.
Irick proudly raised her couple A’ONES during the video interview with Andcape.
“I am not a pink girl, but because of who A’ja is, what she brought to hit the game and South Carolina, I wore this shoe several times,” she said. “I think I’m a pink girl now.”

Nike
Nike “did a good job to hear his athletes and hear the consumer.” Sports reporter and ESPN analyst Monica McNutt said. He believes that the company has not neglected any details when it was time to release.
“Speaking of intentional implementation, Sheryl Swiopes and A’ja Wilson Connection It is not an event – she said. “Sheryl Swoopes was the first woman who got a characteristic shoe for Nike and I feel that the first woman who had a characteristic shoe, dot. And in lots of respects Nike was part of the creation of history and part of culture.”
McNutt said that she didn’t query Nike’s involvement in the former three -time WNBA MVP. He believes that the company has learned from earlier outlets and used them as a chance to develop at a time when women’s basketball continues the incredible growth in the mainstream.

Nike
Nike will release the A’one accompanying clothing line. The line covers Hoodie impersonated by SateenA’Symmetrical one -legged sleeve and a relaxed slide in the same pink shade as a’one. Hoodie sweatshirt honors a mother who didn’t want the superstar to wear masks at the airport.
Like many black women, Kirihara sleeps with silk pillowcases to guard his hair, so with a hood with a sweatshirt with Satk it could appear a small detail to others, but “makes a huge difference.” He thinks he represents more than just something to wear.
“There is a story behind this. And I love it. I think they are drugs because many people want to match things. They want to combine a outfit that is associated with it,” she said.
Tionna DenceceLover, the writer of the texts and content creator, believes that offering Calm Slide is a win for the three -time defensive player of the 12 months WNBA.
“I like the fact that he has a slide,” Denice said. “Some people may not want a sneaker, but they may want a slide. So he gives people options, even if they are not athletes.”
He also loves a hoodie.
“She is such a black girl. It’s so cultural. It’s also for other women. That’s what I loved in the line. Yes, it is a cultural matter, but other women can understand it,” she said.
Irick agreed.
“I regret that they didn’t have it in a jumping window, but I definitely wanted a shoe sweatshirt,” she said. “This is the one I go the most. But I also have a few slides. It has become my way out.”
Keasal also loves so as to add an identical calm slide. “This coordination,” she said. “People may think that this is not such a great contract, but it can (can) increase someone’s confidence.”

Nike
For many, the characteristic A’ja Wilson line means something much apart from hard wood. WNBA built his success at the back of black women. However, before the initial announcement of Wilson’s shoe in May last 12 months, Candace Parker was the last black player of WNBA, who received the sneaker’s line.
It was 15 years ago.
Wilson’s popularity coincides with increased league visibility. A’ONE edition is not only paying arrears; This proves that perseverance pays off.
Denice asked if this independent would have the same impact. She mentioned how WNBA players “once they had to go abroad” to earn money, “which means you had to love it, right?” He feels that the league and the sneakers industry as a complete are waiting for somebody like A’ja Wilson, whose quite a few awards speak for themselves.
“I feel that its basic base of fans and fans in WNBA or people who support basketball (they would be there). Is this a place where it is now five years ago? Probably not. I think that time is everything. This is the perfect time to spend a shoe. It is the perfect time to celebrate WNBA,” she said.
“Now is the perfect time. It’s the perfect time for WNBA, because we see it (we blow up),” she said. “It’s a perfect time for her because her career will come from here.”
Hall agreed.
“I think that thanks to her achievements I think it is very late,” she said. “I really hope he gets the moment he deserves.”
Keasal repeated sentiments.
“I don’t think it can be disappeared or challenge what it means now,” she said. “We see this increase in women’s basketball. You also see that her number one player in the world is also at the forefront. And I think that this means a lot only in terms of representation, because she represents a lot.”
Sneaker Nike A’ONE, a clothing collection and a quiet slide shall be available in chosen retail sellers on May 6.
Entertainment
Ici: Criticism of BBL Erykah Badu and more – Essence

Michael Buckner/Billboard via Getty Images
Beauty might be two things: fashionable or undefined. And sometimes each. Over the past week, the makeup looks for a long time, it exceeded trends together. Meanwhile, a single hair trend cannot even be attached.
For example Red lip This is a alternative of makeup, which turned out to be probably the most timeless appearance of beauty. Just take a look at the Cat and Tracee Ellis Ross. Naja connected it with the overgrown high top Grace Jones and deeply embedded French ends, and Ross selected a rather lighter red nail and a skillful roll.
While the lips have turn into Rouge, the hair became dishonest with trends difficult to define. Solange, seen in wet wet braids this week, creativity directed a birthday session for Ari Lennox. Her uncertain wig went with a pink, junk manicure. To finish the week, Erykah Badu participated within the Billboard Music Awards within the critic of BBL culture. In other words, she shook the overalls expanding the body, the red lip and intentionally messy wing when she received the icon award.
If you missed this, take a look at the 9 best beauty moments from the week.
Entertainment
Kamala Harris “60 minutes” The interview has an emmy nomination regarding the Trump lawsuit

From the dispute about the courtroom to the longed -for Emma nomination, the “60 minutes” interview with Kamala Harris pays fresh attention this week. On Thursday, the segment with the participation of the former vp was nominated for the “outstanding edited interview”.
The same interview was at the center of the ongoing dispute of President Trump with the information network. In November 2024, Trump filed a lawsuit against CBS, claiming that the interview was “insidious” and “documented” to make his opponent look good.
“The matter we have on the basis of 60 minutes, CBS and Paramount is a real winner. They deceived and deceived the American nation on levels, never seen before in the political arena,” wrote Trump in Post on social truthHis social media platform. “60 minutes and his corporate parents, so that this would not have a negative influence on her, remove and remove the entire answer of Kamali, each word, and replaced it with a answer, which she later gave a completely different question. 60 minutes committed a gigantic fraud against the American nation, federal electoral commission and a federal communication system.”
Although CBS has transferred transcription, in keeping with the request of the Federal Communication Commission, CBS remains to be in the face of Harris’s intelligence evaluation.
According to reports, the CBS parent company, Paramount Global, allegedly working on reaching a settlement with the Trump administration, despite the undeniable fact that many journalists oppose this concept. In addition, the “60-minute” executive manufacturer, Bill Owens, gave up attributable to corporate restrictions imposed on him after the controversies of Harris’s intelligence.
Unfortunately, CBS is considered one of the many organizations to which Trump’s administration aimed during the first 100 days. On the same day, “60 minutes” was nominated, Trump signed a contract executive order Directing the corporation to public broadcasts to “stop federal funds for NPR and PBS.”

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