Last month, while celebrating on-court milestones on Instagram — like the team’s 93 regular-season wins as of July 9, the second-most in franchise history — New York Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello was posting almost as much about fashion.
On July 23, she shared a courtside shot in a silvery-blue, head-to-toe Kallmeyer look. A week earlier, she highlighted a Marie Claire story crowning her the WNBA’s “latest style MVP.”
That split between style and sport is no accident. Five years ago, when the team relocated from Westchester on the suburban outskirts of New York to Brooklyn, then-newly appointed chief brand officer Shana Stephenson saw an opportunity to tap into the borough’s creative and cultural capital — and set out to position the Liberty as key players in the fashion conversation.
“I really was intentional about reaching out to different stylists that I knew and brands, and getting athletes front row at fashion or seeing if they could walk in fashion shows,” Stephenson said.
Today, the Liberty might just be the most fashion-forward team in the WNBA. Players Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart all attended the 2024 Met Gala in custom Sergio Hudson. Several Liberty players work with personal stylists, their tunnel looks frequently featured in outlets like Harper’s Bazaar. Even the Liberty’s mascot, a flamboyant elephant named Ellie, has become a fashion influencer in her own right, known for her signature braids, custom jewellery and outfits that often include a Telfar handbag. A jersey dress regularly worn by Ellie, designed by Bronx-based Gabe Stark of Rare Breed BX, now retails in the team store for $115.
The team itself has partnerships with Off-White — named its official “style curator” last year — and collabs with Drake’s OVO label, along with staging ongoing drops from local designers tied to theme nights like Pride and AAPI Heritage Month. Past sell-outs include a satin-lined curl cap released for Juneteenth.
The fashion fixation isn’t just about looking good. The WNBA as a league is at a critical juncture. Players are in the midst of an equity fight, having opted out of their collective bargaining agreement to demand a greater share of the league’s growing revenues amid surging viewership, ticket sales and merchandise demand. While momentum is on their side, critics say there’s still a long way to go before it becomes truly sustainable.
The Liberty are betting that fashion can be more than a branding play and help to position it not just as a basketball powerhouse but as a cultural tastemaker, using style to attract broader relevance. (Players have already used fashion to call attention to their battle for fair compensation, with the “Pay Us What You Owe Us” tee worn by WNBA players during the All-Star Game in July becoming a viral merch moment.)
“[Fashion] adds another layer of interest and another reason to talk about [women’s] sport and talk about the athletes,” said Matt Powell, a senior advisor at BCE Consulting. “There’s a flywheel here — the two things are feeding on each other.”
Creating a Fashion Roadmap
When Stephenson came on board as chief brand officer — after previously consulting for the franchise during its Westchester years — one of her first calls was to stylist Khalilah Beavers, known for working with NBA stars Carmelo Anthony and Jimmy Butler, as well as track and field standout Sha’Carri Richardson. The Liberty hired her as a consultant to help it dress its athletes and get invites to the right parties and events.
Momentum built slowly. A 2023 collaboration with womenswear brand M.M.LaFleur saw Brondello and the team’s executive leadership outfitted by the label, with a capsule collection soon following, alongside the occasional behind-the-scenes Fashion Week appearance.
By 2024, those efforts began to accelerate. The rise of college stars like Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark — and their ability to monetise their name, image and likeness — helped refocus national attention on women’s basketball and reignited conversations about equity in sports. The Liberty’s 2024 championship win only strengthened the team’s growing reputation.
It hasn’t hurt that the Liberty’s signature colour — a turquoise-y blue-green called “seafoam green” that bears a striking resemblance to Tiffany blue — is a favourite for fashion designers and enthusiasts to play with, while the team is based in New York, a hub for both fashion and basketball in the US.
“It’s important to remember that New York is the epicentre of basketball culture for men and women and on the street and in the mind of the consumer,” said Powell. “It’s logical that this would be happening in New York, as opposed to, say, Indianapolis.”
The Liberty’s fashion plays have extended beyond merch. As part of its partnership with Off-White, the entire team and coach Brondello wore custom varsity jackets that later became available for sale. When the team clinched its 2024 title, Off-White and the Liberty released a co-branded championship T-shirt.
Last year, parent company BSE also launched bǝrō, its first premium private-label merchandise line. The team used strategic gifting, including halftime performers and courtside celebrities, to build buzz. A bǝrō jacket worn by Ja Rule during a halftime show last season sold out immediately after.
Combined with the Liberty’s on-court success, it has helped create demand for the team’s official merchandise. Overall sales are up 75 percent in 2025 compared to the same period last year, according to Fanatics, which manages the Liberty’s online and in-arena retail. The team also boasts three of the league’s top 10 highest-selling players: Ionescu, Stewart and Natasha Cloud.
A Reciprocal Opportunity
As much as male athletes are now generating excitement and sales in fashion, female athletes may have an advantage.
“Women are much more attuned to what celebrities are wearing and wanting to wear those same things,” said Powell. “Men are curious about it, but they’re unlikely to go out and buy a really outlandish outfit for themselves just because they saw an NBA player wearing it.”
Beauty brands like Mielle, Milani Cosmetics and Fenty Beauty have already caught on, inking deals with the league and its teams. While mainstream fashion has been slower to connect the dots, brands and stylists are starting to see the opportunity. Many Liberty players now work with personal stylists: Stewart is styled by Courtney Mays, who dressed her for a Rolling Stone feature, while Ionescu tapped Brittany Hampton to style her in Dior and Kenzo for Paris Fashion Week in January.
In May, New York-based designer Sergio Hudson jumped at the chance to dress three Liberty players for the Met Gala, viewing it as much a commercial opportunity for his brand as a cultural statement about who gets to symbolise fashion, culture and femininity.
“I feel like the WNBA is so undervalued, and these women are so magical,” he said. “I wanted to be a part of that history.”
For now, the WNBA’s fashion momentum is strongest in New York with the Liberty. But Stephenson believes the team is developing a playbook that could be replicated across the league.
One example: A line of hoodies produced for the Liberty last year by designer Shirley Short of the lifestyle brand kur8ted performed so well that the league commissioned her to get licensed and create merch for all WNBA teams, Stephenson said.
“Fashion is a tool to build celebrity. Celebrity builds revenue and value in the marketplace,” said Hudson. “Celebrity is not just for the glam and fame. It’s for the fortune [and to] build the businesses of these people.”
