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Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Prada: meet the WNBA’s newest recruits.
Last week at the league’s annual draft, number one pick and breakout star Clark donned a light-pink satin Prada two piece, a bedazzled mesh crop peeking out beneath. Reese, who made a splash by declaring for the WNBA draft in Vogue, was in Bronx and Banco. Los Angeles Sparks forward Cameron Brink wore Balmain.
Clark was the first basketball player — male or female — to be dressed by Prada for draft night (reportedly at the brand’s suggestion). It’s a notable shift from years past, where big luxury players tended to skip out on the event. Prada said they’re not commenting on the relationship with Clark at this point.
It paid off. The look generated $581,000 in media impact value (MIV) according to Launchmetrics — a solid sum for one look. (At the Super Bowl for instance, Taylor Swift generated $181,000 MIV for Area, while Travis Kelce generated $312,000 for Amiri.) Prada’s Instagram post of the look generated $95,000 of the total MIV.
The WNBA posits a rising brand opportunity for fashion. This year, the women’s NCAA championship game received more views than the men’s final for the first time in history. Women’s basketball ticket sales shot up following Clark’s announcement of her intent to enter the draft, according to Pacer Sports and Entertainment. Basketball analyst Debbie Antonelli calls it “Clarkonomics”. On Thursday, Washington Mystics moved their 7 June game against Indiana Fever to a larger venue due to “unprecedented demand”. And online commentary on draft night’s orange carpet proves people are watching — and engaging.
Fashion and sports, long-standing bedfellows, are getting even cosier. Reese said she was inspired by Serena Williams, when the tennis star took to Vogue to announce her retirement. Taking the tunnel walk up a level, the Brooklyn Nets launched its own men’s private label in partnership with Kid Super — and one for the Brooklyn women’s team, New York Liberty, is potentially in the cards. And when it comes to the WNBA, beauty brands want in the game too. Brands like Glossier and Nyx are signing deals with teams in the league.
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Sports stars are key to unlocking Gen Z attention and spend, according to Simar Deol, analyst at strategic foresight agency The Future Laboratory. “Brands have realised they can’t woo young people with just celebrities or models,” she adds. “Today’s younger generation believe in authenticity and realness — that’s what a lot of these rising female sport stars are offering. Also, through the Netflix-ication of sport and people following their favourite athletes through social media, their connection with these stars is stronger than ever.”
Luxury may take a little more convincing, experts say, but last week’s draft night might just have done the trick.
Proof of concept
Athletes and stylists have been building out their fashion repertoires, though it hasn’t always been through brand participation. Stylist Mary Gonsalves Kinney, who styled Brink in Balmain, says that it hasn’t always been easy to get brands to dress women’s basketball stars.
When Kinney styled Brink’s first red carpet appearance two years ago, the player wore Saint Laurent — but Brink had to buy it herself. It was a worthwhile investment, Kinney says. “It really, really, really helped. Because then when I went to other brands like Stella McCartney, Balmain, Alexander McQueen, Saint Laurent again, they knew who she was, they saw how she wore the dress, they saw the attention she received and a light bulb went off. That was part of the strategy on my end.”
Now, experts say, we’re at a turning point. This will be the season that brands see big wins from WNBA stars.
Reese’s Vogue cover was a signal of this shift. “Vogue has the ability to transform a significant moment into a cultural phenomenon,” says Jaclyn Reilly, co-founder of strategic communications firm Ethos Group, who advises Reese. The goal was to “elevate Angel’s vision and message in a way that transcends sport”, she says.
Female athletes have an edge that’s appealing to brands, says Sarah Shapiro, fashion executive and author of Substack Sarah’s Retail Diary. She points to Brink in Balmain: “She looked phenomenal.” They’ll sell clothes.
Under the Jordan brand, Maison Château Rouge designer Youssouf Fofana created a custom look for WNBA player Gabby Williams for the recent Nike on Air event in Paris. “I wanted to design a garment for her that synthesised and represented the confidence, brashness and swag that is embedded in the DNA of all basketball players, but packaged in a silhouette that also showed her poise and elegance,” says Fofana. “I think it’s time we recentre women in the conversation around pioneers in style, culture and how that influences sport — especially a sport like basketball where culture defines everything.”
The designer is keen to continue playing in the WNBA space. “WNBA as a game is influential and growing globally, and in Paris specifically, it’s been amazing to see how these women are icons for the next generation of ballers here,” he adds, pointing to players like Dominique Malonga as ones to watch.
Both Kinney and Ethos co-founder Reilly have noticed a change since they started working with their clients, two and one years ago respectively. “Luxury designer contracts, brand endorsements will start happening,” Kinney says. “I’ve already seen it — I had probably nine designers ready to dress Cameron. And I worked my butt off to make that happen.”
(Un)fair pay
In the week following the draft, the potential for big brand endorsements to help make up for the low pay of WNBA athletes has been part of the discourse.
“Somebody who’s making less than $100,000 a year starting salary is not wearing head-to-toe Prada,” Shapiro says. “It’s the brand that stepped up and made it so that she could afford to look like that on that night.”
These looks drive significant revenue and profile-boosting opportunities for players, says Ethos co-founder Kirsti Yess. Though these endorsements are a welcome uptick, experts caution against falling on luxury brands to pick up the league’s slack. But the uptick in attention has bolstered calls for equal pay — as well as heart eyes and fire emojis. Comments on Prada’s post include: “Can we please talk about her salary?” and a cheeky “Outfit might be more than her salary.”
But it’ll take more than just comments. “You have to go out and go to the games, buy tickets, buy merch, support these ladies so that there is a drive to pay them more,” Kinney says. “The more attention we draw to these women, through these fashion opportunities, it will drive everything else.”
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Correction: Youssouf Fofana designed Gabby Williams's look for the Nike on Air Paris event, not the draft.
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