Nike, Off-White and Serena Williams have revealed a very stylish capsule of clothing and shoes designed for Williams to wear during the U.S. Open tournament, which begins on Aug 27, 2018.
The collection is anchored by on off-the-shoulder tennis dress in black and lavendar whose skirt is lined with tulle, providing a tutu affect. Williams will wear the dress when she competes in the Open.
The collection also includes NikeCourt Flare sneakers and an off-court jacket.
Finally, there are two “The Ten” sneakers: the Blazer and Air Max 97 whose rainbow gradient color story coordinates with the rest the NikeCourt Flare sneakers. These two shoes are meaningful because thus far Nike’s “The Ten” drops with the exception of one or two silhouettes have been sized for men.
“When I first tried on the dress, I felt very strong and feminine at the same time. It has all the really strong elements, from the leather to that really cool stretchy material,” said Williams in an exchange with Vogue. “I felt so feminine in the tutu, which is probably my favorite part of it. It really embodies what I always say: that you can be strong and beautiful at the same time.”
When I was thinking about outfits for Serena, I was thinking about her playing the game and her aesthetic while she is. Also about the confidence that’s needed while playing at the top level of tennis,” Abloh explained. “This is very far from a design-by-numbers project. As you can tell by her personality in her play, she’s very much involved in her aesthetic. She has a level of creativity with how she expresses herself in terms of clothing in any event, so I made everything with her logic in mind. We traded images and there was a lot of back-and-forth to get this done in short order.”
The dress,$500, and jacket, $900, will be sold in limited quantities at NikeLab and Nike SoHo. The Nike Blazer, $130, and the Nike Air Max 97, $190, will be sold at Nike and select retailers. Look for these items to hit in late August 2018.
Check out all the looks below.
