It is plausible to say that Serena Williams has become more of a fashion icon than a tennis one globally, being more than a cult figure in the United States. Williams is also passionate about women empowerment, so she married her two interests back at the New York Fashion Week 2019. The 23-time Grand Slam champion launched a fashion collection, curated by her and her team of designers specifically for women who are plus sized.
At the time, Serena Williams revealed that it was the first time she was attempting to showcase her fashion products on a big platform like NYFW. In an interview with the E Insider magazine on the sidelines of the event, Williams explained the reason behind her ‘S’ logo and the motivation for such a collection. She urged her fans to call plus-sized women great since they are beautiful as they should be filled with confidence and courage and not fear and doubt. Williams stated a big fact which is overlooked often by most fashion brands that all women do not have the same body type or body shape, so they need a different style of clothing to look fashionable.
Serena Williams also claimed that mainly S stood for stylish and sexy amongst many adjectives that must be used for women of any body shape, which resulted in her finalising that logo for her collection. Williams gave a special shoutout to Vogue fame, Anna Wintour as the editor-in-chief is considered as one of the most important fashion figures in the western world and is also a friend to the tennis legend.
Serena Williams makes the ‘S’ in Serena enduring thanks to her venture
Serena Williams has described her fashion brand ‘S’ as on trend and yet not trendy on her website. It does not have an offline store anywhere and yet it is performing well in markets globally since 2019. Just like the interviewer in the video above, every customer and member of the brand receives a special ‘S’ pin that they can wear on their tops, making them feel special and a part of the wider family.
Serena Williams is infusing capital into the brand via another entity of hers, Serena Ventures which is a venture capital firm. This also gives Williams the most control of the company. After launching S by Serena, the superstar joined the Board of Directors of Poshmark, an online resale platform for fashion products and accessories amongst others. It was a natural progression for the businesswoman as it also helped her sell more of her products on the platform, giving her a competitive edge as well as another source of income just from salary earned as a BOD member.
However, she resigned from the BOD of Poshmark in 2022 after the value of the shares she owned, dipped below the $18 million mark a year prior to that. But what has kept her going with her fashion line is the price point. It has normally hovered in the region of $25-$250, which is very much in budget for most of her target audience that also prides itself on wearing sustainable clothing.
Serena Williams has earned more than any other women’s tennis player just from playing the sport. The Serena Williams net worth is said to be close to $300 million on estimate and the fact that her fashion brand is going strong, shows that Williams is ready and in for the long haul when it comes to dominating the women’s fashion market eventually. She is also a regular at events such as Met Gala, making her even more marketable apart from just her name.
