Venus unveils fashion line, joining others

Venus unveils fashion line, joining others


Fashion designer Cynthia Rowley said it's no surprise athletes from Tony Hawk to David Beckham to Maria Sharapova are jumping into the fashion world.

"This is a way for them to express themselves because they normally are just seen in the uniforms they wear," said Rowley, who has written books on fashion and has appeared as a fashion judge on TV. "A lot of them have great ideas and great style. I think fashion should be about having fun, and these athletes do."

On Wednesday, tennis star Venus Williams debuted the latest collection of her clothing line EleVen at New York Fashion Week.

Williams, who has an associate degree in fashion design from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, stuck to her sporting roots by having several athletes model her clothing line.

"I really don't know why all of us athletes are doing [this]. I just know that I went to school and I love design," Williams said. "I try to make a difference in things. This is a big show but I wasn't nervous."

New York Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire, who had a line of clothing last year and is working on his next one, said dressing well provides confidence and energy for the day.

"Fashion reflects who you are, so you need to have a passion if you want to do this," Stoudemire said. "My mom is a former model and designer, so I grew up watching her. And that rubbed off on me. Seems like all of us athletes are now into it."

Playbook asked ESPN the Magazine fashion expert Samantha Rubin to give us her thoughts on her favorite lines by athletes:

RUBIN'S TAKE

David Beckham: Body Wear, aka underwear for H&M.
Comment: Considering Beckham is known as being the premier stylish athlete, I was a bit surprised that it was really only a line of underwear and basics. The items do reflect his sense of style, minimal and classic. Hopefully, next time, he’ll venture into sportswear.