WNBA star Dee Dee Richards did fashion week with the Wild Ducks

NEW YORK – Tuesday will mark Game 2 of the WNBA Finals series, as the Las Vegas Aces battle the Connecticut Sun for the coveted championship title. When the door closes on another season, it ends with players showing off their pregame prowess in their WNBA tunnel entrances. However, many years A discussion about the fall of fashion It continues to use the style of female athletes.

For this New York Fashion Week, which runs through Wednesday, mother-daughter label Wild Dox wanted to change that. Designers Cynthia and Najla Burt have teamed up with League for their Spring-Summer 2023 collection at Paradis Palmiers.. After making her Sports Illustrated Swimwear in early MayWNBA star Dee Dee Richards traveled to the Wild Ducks show on Monday, supported by New York Liberty teammate Michaela Guettare and Los Angeles Sparks guard Lexie Brown.

In the year Created in 2012 when Najla Burt attended Parsons School of Design, Wild Dukes marries daring avant-garde fashion with a sense of elegant luxury. The brand, whose name means “strong soft” in French, combines wearability and sophistication in its designs.

Wild Ducks made a special appearance at New York Fashion Week Spring-Summer 2022 last year. In February of this year, the label’s Fall-Winter 2022 collection was presented at the Black Fashion Council showrooms. According to Najla Burt, that’s when the Wild Ducks’ relationship with the WNBA began.

“The WNBA reached out and said, ‘We love your brand. We’ve been reading about your story, and we just wanted to get involved,’ she said.

“Initially, it was just so that two stars could sit on the show. So this season, ‘How would you feel if you had one of all the players walk on the show?’ We said.

A fan favorite, Richards was one of the first names that came to mind for Burt and her mother. At Liberty’s NYFW debut in New York, she strutted down the runway in a bright tangerine orange maxi dress with gold bangles and beach earrings.. For Burts, color is critical to their identity.

“Part of our brand DNA is from Florida, being in that beautiful tropical Caribbean-type environment,” says Bert Jr. “[This season’s collection] It was inspired by the Florida palm, the state emblem. I remember growing up and seeing that palm tree everywhere we went.

Oscillating between earthy, earthy neutrals and bold tones, Wild Ducks’ 30-look collection featured sensual silhouettes, loose dresses, skirts, tunics and feather embellishments. An homage to Burt’s Tallahassee upbringing, the Wild Ducks were meant to sum up the holiday season with Paradise Palms.

Burt, whose sister played basketball and whose father received a college athletic scholarship, said she and her mother are excited to work with Richards and hopes this is the start of a long-term relationship with the WNBA.

From struggling to find pants for tall girls at the mall to becoming one of the league’s style icons, Richards says walking in New York Fashion Week has been a dream come true. Some of her style inspirations are singer Rihanna, entertainer Tayna Taylor and other women who “push the issue”. The 23-year-old WNBA star wants this season to be an inspiration for more designers to boost the league’s fashion potential.

“It’s definitely a missed opportunity for a lot of people who didn’t make it into the WNBA. We’re all fashionistas, whether that’s in sweats or us girls who love to wear dresses and skirts.” Richards said. “I enjoy seeing the different ways ‘W’ highlights fashion, but I’m proud to be able to be that person for little girls like me.”

She continued: “At this stage I was only wearing sweats. My style is baggy at the bottom, tight at the top, and I wonder what it’s done to me because nothing fits me tight. If it fits my height, it won’t fit my width. If it fits my width, it won’t fit my height. Now, I think it’s much, much better – or I’ve found the right places.

These days, Richards frequents clothing outlets like PrettyLittleThing for her extensive long line, as well as Nasty Gal and others. When she realized she would be walking in the show, she took it upon herself to research what modeling entailed and New York Fashion Week in general.. When her friends Iberere and Brown heard the news, it made perfect sense why Richards jumped at the chance.

“It wasn’t a surprise because if you know Diddy, this is something she wants to do. She was a Sports Illustrated model months ago. This is in her realm, and I’m really proud of her. Now I see exactly what it is [Dur Doux is] She is able to produce, this is where she wants,” said Getare.

And Richards isn’t the only WNBA star who’s a professional in fashion. The same night as the Wild Ducks showdown, the Dallas Wings released Isabelle Harrison He walked to Kim Shui. South Carolina Gamecocks alumni Destani Henderson has worked with HP Storm on WNBA draft apparel and apparel.

He said it’s time for brands to invest in the WNBA’s untapped potential, from fashion to beauty and lifestyle.

“There are a lot of women in this league who always look real, with shaved heads, dreads, braids, weaves, wigs.”

“We have everything in the league and we all manage to make it look great while working every day. I’m like, why not use that? People play with full faces of makeup. We have bangs, girls have their hair done, and we don’t look crazy on the court.

Along with Brown and Menoree, Richards hopes the WNBA will continue to grow in the right direction and that the brands will bridge the gap between fashion and the league as a whole. Such cooperation can be the first step.