Orange Carpet Moments: Inside the 2025 WNBA Draft and the Fashion Evolution of Women’s Sports w/ Sydnee Paige and Kristine Anigwe

Fresh off the 2025 WNBA Draft, Khristina recaps standout picks, sleeper steals, and surprising omissions—while spotlighting how fashion, branding, and business are reshaping the women’s game. Then, fashion stylist and influencer Sydnee Paige joins the show to unpack the best looks from draft night, her styling process for top broadcasters and athletes, and what this new era of women’s sports means for fashion partnerships. Plus, pro player and designer Kristine Anigwe stops by to talk about style, storytelling through clothes, and her journey from WNBA draftee to creative director.

CREDITS

Executive Producers:

Nikki Ettore 

Jessie Katz

Tyler Klang

Jonathan Strickland

Producers:

Mike Coscarelli

Buffy Gorrilla

Producer & Editor:

Tari Harrison

Host:

Khristina Williams

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
In Case You Missed It with Christina Williams is an
iheartwomen's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment.
Welcome to another episode of In Case You Missed It
with Christina Williams, and we are two days removed from
the twenty twenty five WNBA draft where Paige Beckers was

(00:26):
the number one overall pick to Dallas. Obviously there was
no surprise there, but also in Paige Beckers news in
her world, she signed a landmark deal with Unrivaled which
will be more than her WNBA rookie salary, over three
hundred thousand dollars in total earnings. And so just shout
out to Paige. I'm excited to see her hit the

(00:47):
ground running this season. In Dallas. Had a chance to
attend her host draft after party, and when I tell
you that it was lit, it was lit. That building
was past, the DJ was playing all of the tunes
and it was just great to kind of decompress and
just celebrate. She had her Yukon teammates there and the

(01:10):
party also celebrating Caitlyn Chen who was drafted to the
Golden State Valkyries and Aubrey Griffin who was drafted to
the Minnesota Links, but it was it was dope to
be able to see her in and out of her
element and just celebrating such an amazing accomplishment, I do
have to say, And she absolutely killed the orange carpet

(01:32):
and her custom coach looking oversized bag, and we'll dive
into that a little bit later in the show about
the looks that we loved with fashion stylist Sydney Page.
But I just loved it all together, just loved seeing
her throughout the week on her victory lap. Obviously she
just won a national champion, but it also put into

(01:54):
perspective just how fast things happened for these draftees, where
one day you're playing in a national championship game and
then the next day, boom, you're getting drafted in an
already professional athlete. I do believe that they have about
forty eight hours before they have to report to their
respective cities that they're drafted to, and then training camp

(02:17):
starts on the twenty seventh, and so things happened so
fast for these rookies. But it was great to just
be able to sit back and just celebrate those moments
with the draftees at the party. I enjoyed myself in
front of the show. Tarrika Foster Brasby, she was there
with me, so we turned up for the draft. I

(02:38):
do want to break down some of the surprises that
happened in the draft on Monday. A lot of people
were surprised that players like Daja Kelly wasn't drafted, and
obviously she's a guard who definitely I guess to me,
she upped her draft stock by transferring to Oregon and

(03:00):
leading her team to the conference championship, getting them to
a postseason birth. You would think that that is something
that would be a plus when talking about her draft stock.
But I do want to let the fans know that
it's not necessarily the end of the road if a
player goes undrafted, and many times right a player will

(03:21):
still get invited to a training camp for a team
or get a call up during the season if someone
gets injured or hurt. So while she didn't get drafted necessarily,
I do not think that it's the end all, be
all for players like Adaja Kelly. Another surprise that people
saw was that the Golden State Valkyries drafted an international

(03:45):
player with the fifth pick. Now, I honestly, in my
mox Drazz had Anissa Morrow at number five, but I
do like what they were able to do. The Valkyries
drafted Cheyenne Cellars, who slipped big time to number seventeen,
and I spoke to Marylyn Insider earlier who said that
they believe that she slipped because of a knee injury

(04:07):
that slowed her down during the second half of her
college season in postseason, but I believe it's a good
situation for a player like Cheyenne Sellers to be with
the Golden State Valkyries. I've talked about this in previous episodes.
This is a team that is trying to establish an identity.
This is one of the expansion teams who will have

(04:28):
a debut season. So I think that if I'm a rookie,
I want to go to a team like the Golden
State Valkyries. I think that as a late second round pick,
a player like Chyenne Sellers can stick around in a week.
We know how hard it is right for players. Out
of the thirty six players that get drafted, how many
of those players actually stick to a team when it

(04:50):
comes time for the season, And so I think that
she is someone who has a high basketball IQ. GMS
praise her for her ability to pass and playmate, and
so I like where she landed. The Valkyries also drafted
Caitlyn Chen, who just won a national championship with Yukon,
and she was drafted at number thirty. She is someone

(05:12):
who is efficient and when I think about the style
of play, when we tell if you guys go back
to the episodes where we had the Golden State Valkyries
now in Nicase, Jima Yenen and Jess Smith, she talked
about the style in the identity of the offense. So
she wanted to create with the Golden State Valkyries, and

(05:32):
I feel like Caitlyn Chen, she hits that mark as
someone who shoots over fifty percent from the field. She
shot over thirty five percent from the three point and
so I think that this is a guard who will
have a great chance to develop. And obviously the San
Francisco community will embrace a player like Caitlyn Chen uh

(05:53):
And so I'm excited to see how she cannot only
leverage her speech to create scoring opportunities for the team,
but also how she improves defensively. And so when we
talk about the Valkyries and what they chose. I think
that I like what they did. They added players who
are versatile, players who can score. Now, obviously Paige Becker's

(06:14):
she went to the Dallas Wings at the number one pick,
and we talked about in the last episodes about how
she's going to go and make an immediate impact when
we talk about her efficiency as a scorer, her ability
to play make how she's gonna pay very well with
Rique Gumbwale. But in addition to Page, the Dallas Wings

(06:35):
also drafted Aziah James from North Carolina State at number twelve. Overall,
they drafted Madison Scott at number fourteen from Ole Miss
and JJ Quinnerley at number twenty seven. And so I
think that the theme here is the Wings drafted combo
guards who can score and play defense. So that's adding

(06:55):
already to their defensive identity with players like a DJ
Nate Herrington, right, but also players that can score off rip.
So I like what they did as well. I think
that people also talked about the Sparks pick. When I
was scrolling through social media, there was a lot of
uproar about the Sparks drafting uh Sarah Ashley Barker from Alabama. Now,

(07:18):
I think that her forty five point game against Maryland
in the NCAA tournament upped her draft stock, but also
I don't want people to take away what she can
contribute to a team like the Sparks. She's obviously one
of the best shooters in all ball defend on ball
defenders out of this draft class, right, I think that
she will pair well with a player like Rikia Jackson,

(07:40):
a player like Dierka Handy and Kelsey Plum. Now, the
LA Sparks also drafted Sanaia Fagan as well, but one
of the things that their GM praised Sarah Ashley Barker
for was her mentality, her ability to stretch the floor,
how she can shoot beyond the arc, her defensive ability,

(08:03):
her rebounding abilities, and her poison leadership character is everything
when you're doing the scouting in you're interviewing these players
for the draft, and so I like what the LA
Sparks did there with Sarah Ashley Barker. And then we
talk about Snaiya Fagan. Obviously she went to South Carolina,
she won two national championships. So off, you're getting a

(08:25):
rookie who knows what it takes to win, right, I
think that that's a plus. She can also play defense,
Like when we look at her tape from South Carolina,
we see how strong of a defender she is, the
toughness that she brings on both sides of the floor.
And so I like what they did there because you're
adding more defense that can potentially come off the bench.

(08:46):
And then they also drafted lale To King from Notre Dame,
who was a Ford who averaged a double double. She
shot over fifty five percent from the field, and the
La Sparks GM Reagan people she crazed King for being
an efficient shooter. Her rebounding, rebounding, rebounding, rebounding is the

(09:06):
theme here with the Sparks and defense. And obviously she's
a player with a high motor, and I think that
she will fit well into the team. So I know
a lot of people gave the Sparks flack for their
draft picks, but I honestly really like what they did.
I think people forget that when these drafts happened, it's
not necessarily about the player with the biggest name. It's

(09:29):
about the players who will be the best available and
the best fit for a team. Now let's get into
the Indiana Fever, because this is a team that made
a lot of moves in the offseason, a team that
I think is one of the strongest outside of the
Liberty to contend for a title with all of the
veteran players that they've added. But going into draft, the

(09:50):
goal for the Fever was obviously to pick players who
can contribute on the defensive end, and I think that
for a lot of these teams that seems to be
the theme too. We want players who can play defense
and bring versatility on offense. And so what they did
was they drafted mikaeleb Timpson at number nineteen from Florida State.
She finished her collegiate career having set the single season

(10:12):
program records in rebounds, blocks, and double doubles. So this
is a player who can make an immedia impact on defense.
I like the young core that they chose. They also
drafted Bree Hall out of South Carolina, one of Down's
daycare babies. She was drafted at number twenty, and we
know what Bree Hall can do, especially on the perimeter

(10:34):
when we talk about defense. She won two national championships,
been to the final four all four times of her
collegiate career, so she knows what it takes to win.
And I think that having and instilling players like that
into the Indiana Fever culture, it's expiring. So I like
what they did there. And then they drafted Canadian national

(10:54):
team player Yvonne Jim at number thirty three from Gonzaga.
This is a player that can put points on the board.
She finished her collegiate career leading the program as the
points leader, ranking second all time and scoring and third
in rebound So this is someone who can give you versatility.

(11:15):
One of the funniest stories of the night, though, had
to be from the Las Vegas Aces. Now we know
the story about how they lost their first round draft
pick due to the investigation that happened with Deer and
Handy and so, but they still had picks, so they
were able to draft Ali and I at number thirteen.
And she went to Alabama for Sarah Ashley Barker, and

(11:37):
she attended the draft not as someone that was invited
by the league, but she was just there to support
our collegiate teammate, and she was sitting in the audience
and did not expect to get drafted at thirteen by
the Aces. And she ended up getting drafted. So we
kind of had like the Kate Martin deja vu moment
where you're sitting in the audience supporting your friend and
all of a sudden you're drafted into the WNBA. This

(12:00):
is a player who has been praised for her three
point shooting, her efficiency. We know that she can play defense,
and so I think that her high basketball IQ is
something that the Aces need. We talk about depth and
what the ACE is lost in the off season. I
like this pick at number thirteen. Another funny story of

(12:20):
the night for the WNBA draft Harmoni Turner from Harvard.
She was picked at number thirty five, and there was
a tweet that went out where the Las Vegas Aces
was trying to contact her on the phone because she's
picked at thirty five, so that's third round, right, and

(12:41):
they couldn't get in contact with her, and so a
reporter was reporting in a tweet that said, hey, the
Aces couldn't get in contact with her, but you know
they think highly for her, blah blah blah. And she's like,
oh my god, my phone is freezing, Like I couldn't
answer the phone, but I'm excited to be part of
the aces, and we love Harmondi Churner because she the
three level scorers. She has a high basketball IQ. She

(13:03):
won the twenty twenty five Ivy League and Becky Hammond
Mid Major Player of the Year Award. And so I
like that addition because Asian Wilson is gonna need help.
Let's be real, She's gonna need some help. And I
like that they added players who can score on every
level and have a high basketball IQ. Now, to round

(13:26):
this up, I had a chance to speak with a
friend who covers the Mystics a little bit earlier in
the day and we talked about some of their picks. Now,
obviously the Mystics is a team that is in full
rebuild mode. They hired a new head coach in Sidney Johnson,
they added a new GM and Jamila Widman. But I
really like the picks that they had. They were a

(13:47):
team who had multiple first round picks, and at three
and four, they obviously chose the best available players in
Kiki Iriyafin and Sonya Citron from Notre Dame. I think
that when people were surprised about a little bit, it
was the Georgia Amore pick. But I think that they
really added high IQ players that can play fast paced

(14:08):
and well together, and this is picks that will benefit
them in a long term. I think that the Mystics
are trying to see what their identity is post Alena
Deladon posts twenty nineteen championship team and in the post
game presser Kiki said that the coach was trying to

(14:29):
develop an offensive system in which they score in the
first eight seconds of the shot clock. So you add
an undersized guard like Georgia Amore, right, She's a fast guard.
She can fit into that style as a pure point guard.
So I like that they can take advantage of the
youth and athleticism of these three picks. I do also

(14:49):
love how they had Elena Deladon be a part of
that moment when we talk about the rebuild and what
the identity of the team will look like. Post Alena Deladon,
who recently announced her retirement from the w NBA, she
was calling in the picks to the commissioner from the
war room. So I love that they are kind of

(15:09):
paying homage to the past of the franchise but inserting,
you know, someone like Alena Deladom, who was a Mystics
great led the team to win their first title in
franchise history in twenty nineteen. I'm excited for, you know,
the mystics with these picks, and I'm also looking forward

(15:30):
to seeing how they develop because now when you look
at the shakeout of the roster, they have a lot
of bigs. They have Shakira Austin, they have Kiki who
they just drafted, Alia Edwards and Stephanie Dolson. So very
top heavy when it comes to the bigs and how
that roster fits out. So it'll be very interesting to
see how coach Sidney Johnson will make that work within

(15:52):
the system and what he's trying to do. With all
that being said, I know I talked a lot. I'm
just yeapping, y'all, but I really enjoyed the drafts in itself.
The event was great. I love the evolution of the event.
I remember going to one of my first w NBA
drafts in twenty nineteen and it was at the Nike

(16:16):
headquarters and it was a very small event, very you know,
small space. And so now the league has added you know,
different experiences. They up the venue to add more people,
ticketing fans, adding the WNBA experience similar to what the
NBA experience is like on Draft Night, where fans get
to go through and tour the space, take pictures with

(16:36):
the draftees, go on the Orange carpet. So it's this
whole thing. So I love the state of where the
draft is in terms of the entertainment factor and the
experience of it. Really really thoroughly enjoyed that. All right.
So with all that being said, I'm super excited about
this week's show because we're gonna switch gears from the

(16:58):
basketball talp and dive into some of our favorite fashion
and so we're gonna take a quick break and when
we get back, we're gonna be joined by my good friend,
fashion stylist influencer. She does it all, Sydney Page, So
stay with us. Joining me this week to break down

(17:29):
all of the hits and some of the misses from
the WNBA Draft Orange Carpet is my good friend and
I'm so happy to have her on. Finally, fashion stylist,
influencer and analyst Sydney Page, Sid, Welcome to the show.
Thank you.

Speaker 2 (17:47):
I'm so excited to be here, so excited to talk
to you about this again. You know, we've done this
for a few years, but I'm excited to do it
this time on your podcast, So thanks for having me.

Speaker 1 (17:57):
Yes, yes, Yes. So right off the gate, the NBA
had announced a partnership with Coach, and I think that
that was such a historical moment to partner with a
brand like Coach, who really you know, they have a
lot of luxury goods at affordable prices. So I was like, Okay,
I can get with this because you know, I got
a little bit of Coach inside my wardrobe. What do

(18:21):
you think about this partnership? Is it a hit for
the WNBA to partner with Coach.

Speaker 2 (18:26):
I think it's a hit, especially the way that Coach
is kind of rebranding. I would say it's a rebrand,
you know. It's just they're getting so much cooler and
they're really finding their niche. I think in this new
like world of fashion, I think they're finding their footing again,
and so I think it's a great partnership.

Speaker 3 (18:43):
I think it's perfect.

Speaker 2 (18:44):
It's so good to finally see brands, you know, get
on board with the WNBA and with you know, with
women's fashion in sports. So I'm super excited. I'm excited
to see where they take it too.

Speaker 3 (18:55):
It was cool you.

Speaker 2 (18:56):
Know, to see it all over the Orange carpet, but
I am excited to see what they do throughout the
season with the players in the league.

Speaker 1 (19:02):
So last night the draftees brought all of the fashion
out and obviously we talked about the coach partnership they
partnered with five of the draftees last night for were
some of their looks. What were some of your favorite
looks from the carpet last night?

Speaker 2 (19:17):
There were so many. I had so many looks this time.
I know I usually picked five, but this time it
was It's hard. It's hard to narrow that down. But
I think my favorite part of everything was the versatility.
I think the w really, especially right now, has the
most versatility when it comes to fashion in the draft.
I mean we're seeing gowns, we're seeing sets, we're seeing suits.

(19:37):
You know, we're seeing so many different things. So I
think that was the coolest part of it all, like
how versatile it was. But my favorite looks, I think
I'll have to I mean, you have to start with
Page you just have to.

Speaker 3 (19:50):
Like it just was so good.

Speaker 2 (19:51):
It was so you know, I think she was one
that I was most looking forward to, just because I
look forward to her off season looks. So I already
knew that she was going to come with it, but
I really didn't know where she was going to take it.
And I think it was so perfect. I love the
three piece suit. I've always loved, you know, garments that
start shining in the lights, you know when the lights

(20:12):
start hitting you, And it was just like it wasn't
too much, it was just it was really perfect. So
I think that fit her perfectly perfectly. Shout out to
her stylists too, Ritney Hampton. I think they just do
it so well. They do effortless in like cool so well,
you know it never like looks overstyled. I think it
always is just perfectly perfectly put together for her. So

(20:33):
definitely loved Page's look some more. I love I think Sonia.
I really loved that black you know nothing under the blazer.
But then what really did it for me was the
socks with the heels.

Speaker 3 (20:46):
I just I love that. I think that.

Speaker 2 (20:47):
Really like brought it all in, tied that in together
as well. So I think those probably were my top two.
Next half to go with Kiki with the gold dress.
I mean that we didn't see many gowns this year
as well. Like we you know, we saw a lot of,
like I said, a lot of versatile looks. But Kiki
with that gold gown from head to toe, I loved it.

Speaker 3 (21:09):
It was really monochrome.

Speaker 2 (21:10):
You know, she did her hair to kind of match,
you know, what was going on with the dress. I
love the structure of it. I feel like it fit
her perfectly, tailored perfectly, which is always a big thing
for me. So I think those are definitely my top
three this year.

Speaker 1 (21:22):
Yeah, no, I have to agree. Well, Page was dressed
in custom Coach, so just to see Coach, I mean
obviously we know that they create clothes, but to see
them like step into the w space. I think that
Page looked like herself. And yeah, you said it was
very effortless. And then the beach waves kind of tied
it all together with the oversized bag. And then I
have to agree with you with Kiki as well, because

(21:44):
she had on the gown but it tied into her
Nigerian roots and she talked about how she partnered with
the designer and African designer to make it all happen.
So I love that, you know, a storytelling within the clothes.
I did also like Georgia Amore because she partnered with
us and Westbrook, who is at the draft last night,

(22:05):
she partnered with him for her custom look. And I
think one of the themes that I saw throughout the
night was definitely a lot of structured, tailored pieces, lots
of black on their carpet. Surprisingly, So I'm wondering if
that's a trend. I mean, you're you're a fashion statist,
you're the expert here, but is that a trend coming

(22:25):
into the sprim fall. Lots of tailor ring, structured pieces,
lots of dark colors, for sure.

Speaker 2 (22:31):
I mean we're seeing I mean we always see a
lot of suits in the W, but I think that
it's now it is a trend. We're seeing so many
women who don't normally wear suits, you know, going into
this men's wear and like androgynousts look and styles.

Speaker 3 (22:44):
So it's really just you.

Speaker 2 (22:45):
Know, a perfect marriage in between like the W and
what is trending right now.

Speaker 3 (22:49):
So I do think that that is a trend.

Speaker 2 (22:52):
Also, black is just you always just know it's gonna work,
you know, and especially for you know, some of the
players who may have wanted to keep it like a
little more safe. I think it's cool to like have
something that's structured or maybe has a little something going
on somewhere else, but then it's black, So then I
feel like they feel like a little more comfortable and
like safer in that color.

Speaker 1 (23:09):
So yeah, one of the looks I think stole the
show was azy fudd yukon Guard Azy fudd I think that. No,
she wasn't getting drafted last night. She was there to
support her her teammate in Paige Becker's Katie Chen and
Aubrey Griffin, but she stole the show. She was also
stoped by b Hampton as well, and she talked about

(23:30):
how she doesn't usually wear gowns.

Speaker 3 (23:33):
Yeah, but I don't think we've ever seen her in
that before. But I loved it as well.

Speaker 1 (23:37):
Yeah, she had she straightened her hair. She had a
cow neck kind of open open dress with the mesh
on the bottom and it played with different shapes. I
really really loved her look as well. So most people
don't notice about you, Sid, but you're responsible for styling
some of the top broadcasters in the game, like Monica
McNutt and Andrea Carter as well, and some other player

(24:00):
and stuff as well. But just talk about your relationship
with them and how you got into fashion styling on
like the women's sports side.

Speaker 2 (24:09):
Yeah, I think honestly, it really started with Monica. We
met on a foot action shoot and we just we
hit it off immediately, like immediately we got along. Everything,
you know, worked out perfectly. You know that I had
gotten for her on set and she told me, she
told me there, she said, you know, whenever things pop
off for me and I need a stylist, like, I'm

(24:29):
gonna hit you up. And I think it was maybe
like four or five months later, I was on set
and I got a call from her, a caller, a text,
and I ended up calling her, and oddly enough, I
was on the same set that I am on right
now recording this. But yeah, she told me that she
needed a stylist and that we should get to work.

Speaker 3 (24:49):
And that was in.

Speaker 2 (24:50):
Twenty twenty one. We're in twenty twenty five, were still
working together, and you know, it's just it's been great.
It's been great to tap into this space that I
feel like people really weren't, you know, people really just
weren't focusing on what the broadcasters were wearing, you know before,
and I just like it's been so good to see
the growth in that and uh now working with Andrea

(25:11):
as well, Like, it's just it's been so fun and
it's it's tough, you know, because it's not the same
like they're It's not the same as dressing a player.
It's not the same as you know, just dressing anyone.
It really has to be specific to them. It has
to be tailored for TV. It has to be appropriate.
But then you also want it to look good. You
also want it to you know, it needs to be comfortable.
So there's a lot of things that go into it.

(25:32):
But it's really a really dope blame that we've that
we've found and created there.

Speaker 1 (25:37):
Yeah, and these are two of the best rest people
on TV. I know, fans on social media Atamonica like
who dressed you? What are you wearing? Another thing that
people may not know is that you are the little
sister to Friends to This Show because your brother was
on the show. Earlier this season, Friends of This Show

(25:57):
had new league named head coach of the Chicago Sky
Tie Marsh and your dad was also added to that
coaching staff. So I feel like you all are just
taking over and the women's sports Space basketball Royalty right
here oh bit talk talk about that. How excited are
you for your family to just be in this space

(26:18):
and in Chicago as well.

Speaker 2 (26:20):
It's like, it's honestly, another pinching moment. It's so crazy.
I'm so incredibly proud of my brother and my dad,
Like it's it's just there's no words, you know what
I mean, For them to be able to work together,
for my dad to be able to work under my brothers,
just like, what is happening? You know, we were just

(26:41):
it feels like just yesterday. We were little kids watching
him all the time, being at all of his games,
me being at all of Tyler's games, and now for
them to be in this space is like so incredible.
I'm so proud of them, and I can't wait for
this season. I am so excited. I can't wait to
be in Chicago watching them, Like it's I think they're
going to shock themselves, to be honest. So I'm so

(27:03):
excited for them and for the season.

Speaker 1 (27:06):
From cheers for the fashion tip, have you called your
brother like, hey, I want to style you for the
sidelines because he's going from being in like the tear
of an assistant to now being on the sidelines as
the head coach. Have you guys had that discussion at all.

Speaker 2 (27:20):
We actually have had this discussion. But you know, Tyler,
he's very low key, he's very you know, he's a
minimalist when it comes to his clothes. So we but
we have talked about it, so I know kind of
you know, what he's thinking for the sidelines, but it
will be it will be very clean, but very minimal
as well, just very tasteful, effortless.

Speaker 1 (27:40):
You did say, yeah, you did say, Angel Reese is
at the top of your list of people you want
to style. But when I look at who they drafted
yesterday and look at the players on the roster Hayley,
Van Litt, Kamalo Cardozo, Yes, I feel like the tunnel
looks and the WNBA has has become a staple. Why

(28:00):
is it important for brands to now partner with these
athletes for you know, the tunnel looks because these athletes
take it very, very sitious these.

Speaker 3 (28:08):
Days, they do take it serious.

Speaker 2 (28:10):
Also, Haley another one I would also love to work with.
I loved her look last night as well. She had,
you know, the mini coach dress. It was all embellished.
It looked really great and you know, she said, they
did a lot of like archival you know, research on
it before they created that, so I thought her look
was very dope as well. But no, I think it's huge.

(28:32):
Like if the brands are, you know, begging to get
clothes on all the guys for their tonnel looks, but
it's it's the girls turn right now, you know, like
they are, they are putting it out there, and like
I said, it's just so much more versatile. It's so versatile,
and I really think that the brands are are they
need to keep jumping on this because you know, there's

(28:53):
just so many lanes that you can go. Like I said,
with men, it gets it sometimes can get a little tough,
you know, with uh, with the versatility of it all,
but people do it of course. But I think with women,
like it's going to really shock you. There's a lot
of potential this season. I mean, like we were saying,
with the looks, I mean, I think this was really
the best orange carpet that we've seen with all of

(29:14):
the looks together. So it really made me excited to
be like, oh, I think this is where this player
is going to go for the season.

Speaker 1 (29:19):
This is where this.

Speaker 2 (29:20):
Player is going to go, so, you know, as far
as their fashion and their wardrobe, so I'm super excited.
We talked about some of the hits and looks that
we loved from the carpet last night, but were there
any looks that kind of missed the mark?

Speaker 3 (29:35):
I think there were a few tweaks that.

Speaker 2 (29:38):
I would definitely make to some to some looks. I
think that as far as like Snaya, I think she
had so much you know, I think just a little tailoring,
a little more tailoring in that suit. But I love
the idea of it all. And I think that she's
another one to watch out for for her looks during
the season because she really it's that she wants to

(30:00):
take it there and she wants to, you know, be
out there with her style, and I think that's I
love that. So I think that she's really gonna fine
tune that this season. So I'm excited to see.

Speaker 4 (30:10):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (30:10):
No, I absolutely love that you said that, because I
did like that she went outside the box in terms
of the structure in different cuts inside of her look,
and then how the red hair contrasted with the all
white I do want to say that I did like
her bag. Oh yeah, all white bag. With the with
the I think it said the w NBA been been

(30:32):
poppin on it. Yes, I love it. So I didn't
like that. I do think that she maybe, like you said,
tear it the pants a little bit.

Speaker 2 (30:40):
Yeah, I just the top was just a little more yeah, yeah, yeah,
But I love that because I love a blazer that
has the cutouts and I love, you know, asymmetrical looks.
I think that I loved where she was going with
that for sure, but I'm excited to see some more
like street where it looks from her for sure.

Speaker 1 (30:56):
Yeah, and she owned the look. She was just so confident,
confident walking down a carponel love how she said she
wanted to go outside of the box and she just
took it there, just taking taking that next step to
think outside of the box. So shout out to that.
I'm looking forward to seeing what she comes up with
for the rest of the season as well for me too.
I mean, you talked a little bit about the process
of TV being different from a carpet look dressing for

(31:22):
a broadcaster versus an athlete, But what really goes into
you know, that process when you're seeking out and getting
new clients to work with in this space.

Speaker 2 (31:32):
Yeah, I think that, you know, for when it comes
to broadcast, it is different because, like I said, there's
so many different things that you have to pay attention to.
And I think that's something that my clients like Monica
Andrea really appreciate because it's things that you don't always
have to think about, like you have to figure out
what's you know, just like Sonia's look yesterday she had

(31:53):
the open blazer.

Speaker 3 (31:54):
I would love to do that, but we can't.

Speaker 2 (31:56):
You know, it can't be on the front on first
take with you know, with everything out. So even like
certain patterns and stuff, you have to think about how
it reads back on TV, like something start you know,
buzzing or making you know different, I don't know, it
just doesn't read the same that it would maybe on
a carpet or just you know on like in person.

(32:17):
So it's just a lot of things that go into it.
And I think that they just appreciate that I do
really pay attention to all of these little things that
maybe they wouldn't even think about, you know. And so yeah,
it's it's it's tough, but it really is fun.

Speaker 1 (32:31):
I know. We talk about the difference and broadcasters versus athletes.
But both Monica and they are former athletes. Under you
played at See Monica played at Georgetown, so they still
have those athletic builds. Is it hard to get clothes
that fit them when you when you go into getting
samples and whatnot, because they still are very much fit,

(32:52):
is tall, I don't know what I mean.

Speaker 2 (32:54):
Their bodies are just incredible and it's but again, it's
an athlete body and when you're working with showrooms and
things like that, there a lot of times made for
these models that are you know, no one is their size,
so it does make it a little tough, especially you
know with I mean me and Andrea are about the

(33:15):
same height, but then Monica, she's a lot taller, and
you know, so it's it does it does make it difficult,
But again it's just everyone's body is different. Everything is
not you know, like dressing it. I don't know, it
just you just have to really work with people's body types.
I think it just comes with being a stylist. But yeah,

(33:35):
it's just little things that I'm always having to think about.
With Monica, it's usually the height with the pants and
you know, making sure that the length is long enough.
With Andrea, it's more like with her muscular build, making
sure that things fit in our tailored in the right ways.
Who would you love to dress in the women's sports
space there, there's a couple, but I think I think

(34:00):
up on my list right now is probably Angel. I
think I would love to style Angel, But then also
some of the new girls. I think I think Kiki
would be really really dope to styles. She seems like
she has a very versatile you know, she seems like
she has a lot of versatility with her looks. I
think that would be really dope as well.

Speaker 1 (34:20):
As a fashion stylist, do you pull your inspiration Because
every fashion stylist has their own kind of aesthetic, right,
is there a fashion stylist that you pull your inspiration
from that helps you form and shape your own aesthetic?
And how much of that goes into the looks for
your clients? Like how much do you put into your

(34:42):
own aesthetic in what they want into the final look? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (34:46):
I think that as far as my maybe not my aesthetic,
but as far as my technique, I think I've learned
from just a lot of different stylists that I've worked with.
I've been you know, assisting in this industry for a
long time. So I think I've just kind of have
taken a little like little things here and there from
all of these styles that I've been so fortunate to
be around and to you know, see their work ethic

(35:08):
and you know how they work with their clients. So
I think that all goes into it. But as far
as my aesthetic for dressing my clients, I try to
make I try to make sure that it still feels
very much like them. But I think for me, like
what personally goes into it is just making things feel
very effortless, like I never wanted to look like we

(35:30):
tried too hard or that like it's something that they
wouldn't really wear. That people are like, this doesn't make sense,
you know, Like I want everything to make sense. I
want everything to be tailored well, and I want everything
to just feel effortless and very chic.

Speaker 1 (35:44):
I think one of the funniest stories with you and
I because Sid and I have known each other for
almost a decade now, and funny story we met at
church in Harlem. But yeah, that's even here there or
here glad that we're still fun. But remember when we
went to that Puma private launch when June Ambrose was

(36:05):
like the created director of women's tubes. Yes, and she
came out with her new line and they had us
in there with Honey Palenciaga, who voguing.

Speaker 3 (36:15):
I was like, we were in there voguing.

Speaker 1 (36:18):
I am not a voger by any sense of the word,
but that was so much fun and props to June
Women's basketball space. You guys don't know this about me,
but before I got into this space, I was very
much a bashroom reporter. I feel like I lived a
million lives. But I met June in like twenty fifteen,
and I remember when I used to go to all
of the shows and do my thing backstage. I would

(36:40):
sit next to her as shows and so like building
that relationship. But she is someone who has evolved over time,
responsible for some of the most biggest cultural moments. And
I mean, I have that time with June Ambrose was crazy,
like it's major.

Speaker 3 (36:56):
It's major.

Speaker 2 (36:57):
It was really like a pinch me moment to you know,
for to be there, and I was just like, am
I like legit voguing with June Ambros right now?

Speaker 3 (37:05):
Like this is crazy?

Speaker 2 (37:06):
It was just it was just so major because she
really was a huge part of why I even do
what I do. And you know, when I had to
make the decision to leap into being a freelancer, like
her story was so critical to why I was just like,
I really just have to do it. I have to
just leave what I'm doing now and what I know

(37:26):
and just jump into this thing if I'm going to
be serious about it. And you know, read like I
read her story so many times and just you know,
kept looking at her career and her trajectory, and of
course she was someone that I knew before, you know,
knew of before I watched her show and everything. But
it's like really reading that in that moment in my life,
like it was, it was super major for me to

(37:49):
make that move. And she's a huge reason. Her story
is a huge, huge reason of why I do what
I do today.

Speaker 1 (37:56):
As a black woman who's in the fashion industry. Obviously
there some hurdles with you know, pulling clothes and breaking
into the space. But talk about some of those challenges
and how you were able to overcome that.

Speaker 2 (38:11):
Yeah, I think it's tough, especially starting out. I mean
it's it's still as tough, but starting out, you know,
like I said, a lot of people weren't reaching out
to showrooms for different broadcasters, Like it just wasn't really happening.
So I think that it was tough to you know,
let brands understand why like they should be loaning for

(38:31):
certain things and for certain people. So but to overcome it,
I mean honestly, it helped because I was able to
reach out to so many smaller brands and so many
you know, these black owned brands, these women own brands
who were just super happy and grateful and had great things,
amazing things who you know, just wanted that opportunity to

(38:52):
have their look on first take or to have their
look on a carpet. And I think that, like is
why we have so many major moments that like, you know,
people have never seen these clothes before, because you know,
we were reaching out to all of these brands that
people just weren't really always aware of.

Speaker 3 (39:08):
So I love.

Speaker 2 (39:09):
I love being able to you know, put those types
of brands and just put new things that we haven't
seen before on my clients.

Speaker 1 (39:17):
And it's certainly been a pleasure to watch you, you know,
elevate and climb with your career as you head into
creating just your own lane in this space as a
black woman. I'm so, so, so so proud of you,
said always thank you, but I just want to thank
you for coming on the show this week and breaking
down some of the top draft looks and talking about

(39:39):
your journey.

Speaker 2 (39:41):
Thank you so much. I'm so proud of you as well.
The fact that we can do this on your podcast
this time is awesome. I'm so happy for you and
I just can't wait to see. It's only up from
here for both of us.

Speaker 1 (39:52):
So yes, it is only up man. Look Angel, if
you're listening to this, call your girl, call sid Let's
do it.

Speaker 3 (39:59):
Let's get into it.

Speaker 1 (40:02):
Thank you so much.

Speaker 3 (40:03):
Did of course, thank you.

Speaker 1 (40:05):
I just want to thank my girl Sidney again for
joining us. It was obviously such a pleasure to chat
with her. You're not following her, make sure you follow
her on social media. When we come back, we're gonna
be joined by professional basketball player, creative director founder All
of the Things, Christine and Neguay to break down all

(40:27):
of the fashions from this year's WNBA draft and to
talk about her brand KA Original. So stay with us.
Welcome back to In Case you missed It, with Christina
Williams and I just want to say that this week's

(40:49):
theme is sort of a sports but also a fashion theme,
and I'm so excited about this week's guest. We get
a bonus guest this week. We had Sid come through
early to talk about all of the orange carpet looks.
But the next guest, she's obviously a professional basketball player.
She's a designer, a founder and creative director of KA Originals.

(41:13):
Please welcome to the show. My good friend is someone
I'm super excited for you all to hear from Christine. Anyway,
welcome to the show. Thank you.

Speaker 4 (41:23):
Oh my gosh, I'm so excited to be on here.

Speaker 1 (41:27):
Listen. I know you've been so busy, but how has
life been for you?

Speaker 5 (41:31):
I feel like these last couple of months have been
a little chaotic. I just got back from China. I
spent four months out there playing basketball and working on
it's a lot of creative work, and then coming back
it's been just like I've been celebrating my birthday, hanging
out with my family and just trying to finish these
projects before the season starts.

Speaker 1 (41:53):
Well, happy belated birthday, and I'm so excited to have
you back stateside. But we're off the heels of another
WNBAH draft and you were drafted in twenty nineteen in
the first round at number nine overall, and you've had
several stops throughout your career, but what was that day

(42:15):
like for you to be able to have your name
called and just to go through that experience.

Speaker 5 (42:20):
Yeah, Like I watched the draft this year and just
seeing like players like Kiki and her family and her
outfit and just honoring the like Nigerian culture. For me,
that was a big moment for me as well as
my family. I'm a first generation Nigerian and to come
here and to see like my I don't know, I

(42:43):
just feel like it just gave me flashbacks watching her.
It kind of reminded me of myself and we both
played under the same coach. And being she got drafted
out four, I believe that was just like I don't know,
like that she kind of like made me just feel
all the feels from that day.

Speaker 1 (43:00):
And I want to get into you know, the draft fashion.
But you know, you talked about that cultural connection and
we've seen more international type players or even even more
Nigerian players come into the league. What does that say
about the sport globally and how it's making an impact

(43:23):
in the w domestically.

Speaker 5 (43:24):
I definitely think that it's just like we're now like
getting We've always gotten the spotlight being Nigerian, like we've
seen Meca, we've seen Cheney. We've had really strong role
models in that way, and I think they've done a
good job at showing us, like the younger generation, what
being multi dimensional looks like. And I think now we're

(43:46):
seeing it on a bigger scale because of WNBA is growing,
so we're seeing more international players because obviously now like
we're not just looking at like the schools out here,
we're looking at it from like a global perspective. Playing
in Europe, I've seen some of the best talent go
like unrecognized, you know, and then seeing people now like
GM's going out there, going to China. You see a

(44:09):
lot of gems in China. When I was playing in EuroLeague,
you saw a lot of gems going to those games.
And now that that's how international talent is coming stateside,
you're seeing that like blend of culture even in the
play and even in the style too.

Speaker 1 (44:22):
Absolutely, and you talked about Peeky's custom made piece and
I loved how it did tie into Nigerian roots. Do
you remember what you were on drafted in twenty nineteen.

Speaker 5 (44:33):
I do, honestly. I remember going to Nordstrum because that
was like the you know, like north Strum was that
girl like twenty nineteen, like you went to Nortchum to
get your dress. I went out there on like the
two days before the draft, picked up my dress.

Speaker 4 (44:46):
It was an off. It was off the shoulder cut.
I think it was like a little tight.

Speaker 5 (44:51):
I think it was like right above my knees. My
mom helped me pick it out. She's very modest, so
she loves that pencil look type of outfit.

Speaker 4 (45:01):
So I kind of went with her.

Speaker 5 (45:03):
And I remember getting kitten heels because I could not
walk in heels and I still like my feet, Like
I don't really like walking in like high heels. So
I got kitten heels and then like literally the day
before the draft, I changed my heels to like a
three inch heeld and I was like, I don't want
to fall when I call my name, worried about all
the wrong things on DROM day, but I ended up

(45:26):
changing my heel to a three inch heel.

Speaker 4 (45:29):
I don't know where I got those from, and Yeah.

Speaker 1 (45:32):
How would you say your style has evolved from twenty
nineteen draft day to now?

Speaker 3 (45:39):
I kind of.

Speaker 4 (45:39):
Really liked my style back then.

Speaker 5 (45:41):
It was very minimalistic, Like I didn't really go crazy
with the color schemes. I have relatively the same hairstyle
that I did back then too. It's a middle down
but like you never can go wrong with just like
a traditional sewing, you know, Like I didn't really go
crazy with the hair I did in a glam from

(46:03):
one of my good friends in New York, and I
would I would probably still wear that same outfit. Not
I wouldn't wear the same outfit. I don't really wear
dresses like that anymore. But I liked I think I
chose a very classic look.

Speaker 1 (46:17):
So I want to get into your brand KA originally,
what inspired you to just extend your business portfolio in
terms of getting into the fashion world as a professional
active athlete.

Speaker 5 (46:32):
Well, honestly, this is like, as you know, like AA
Originals came from a passion that I had with designing
for myself, and I started getting clients as I started
wearing my own pieces, So those clients came organically. I
wasn't doing ads, I wasn't doing outreach on my social media.

Speaker 4 (46:55):
I was just wearing my clothes in.

Speaker 5 (46:57):
Real time, and I was getting a lot of positive
feet back from that, and I think that kind of
gave me the courage to expand quicker than I thought
I would have had I not have gone that like
affirmation from my colleagues.

Speaker 4 (47:13):
I think, honestly, I.

Speaker 5 (47:15):
Had to learn a lot about the business side of
the whole thing, because I'm so passion driven. Sometimes, like
business and passion, they just don't coexist. And I had
to learn that the hard way, Like just because those
are your friends doesn't mean that you.

Speaker 4 (47:31):
Do business with them, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 5 (47:33):
And I think like that kind of helped me, like
become a better entrepreneur, and like becoming a better entrepreneur
helped me become a better creative, And it helped me
understand that I can love what I do and not
be so attached to it.

Speaker 1 (47:48):
No, I absolutely agree as a creative you have to separate,
you know, yourself from the things that you're creating sometimes.
But I love how you talked about how just being
your authentic self everything else fell together for you, particularly
in how you attracted your clients and for those of
you who are listening and don't know Christine is that girl,

(48:09):
Okay when it comes to styling your favorite players like
Skyler Diggen Smith, like the Tiffany Hayes, like the Olivia
Nelson Odadas. She is the genius behind some of those
tunnel fit looks that you loved during the w season.
How when you approach like finding that style for each
individual person, what is that process like? Because I feel

(48:31):
like their styles are completely different.

Speaker 3 (48:33):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (48:35):
Well for me, when I no longer just like go
off of like my own opinions on styling, I kind
of let them talk. I let them tell me, like
who they are as a person first.

Speaker 1 (48:47):
You know.

Speaker 5 (48:48):
First I used to be like I want them to
wear this, this, and this when I first started off style,
and I'm like, okay, like my brand, I could probably
just make it for them, you know, because like as
a designer, like you think.

Speaker 4 (48:58):
You can make everything.

Speaker 5 (48:59):
But I saw it to be more intentional, like what
like align them with brands that they would actually use
in real life and brands that they can actually collaborate
with and make money with. And I started thinking more
as an entrepreneur rather than a creative And that's that's
where I'm coming from. That's why I ask so many questions.
And it's such a long process. Like not only do

(49:21):
we make like very detailed mood boards, but that mood
board can change based off like the season. Someone can
be like, I really want to go very colorful, and
I want to I want to show like my personality
and my feminine side, and I want to wear pink
and orange all season. Then something happens mid season.

Speaker 4 (49:39):
They're like, no, I'm all black.

Speaker 5 (49:40):
And I'm like, oh, okay, let's do it. Like, let's
do it, let's do edgy. So I go off of
like I'm usually now. I used to be in constant
communication with the people, with my clients, the people I
was styling, But now it's like I send the mood board,
we talk about it, We go through brands together, we
see what brands align every single player every like, and

(50:02):
we I talked to their PR teams, I talked to
their agents. Sometimes I feel like it's like styling is
so much more than just like, oh, like these clothes
look nice. It's like, no, like, what brands are you
actually going to war Like for example, like coach now
sponsors a WNBA if I was stiling a WNBA player,
I would go. Coach would probably be like, if I'm

(50:22):
styling a player and that's going like top top four.
Coach probably reached out a couple of weeks prior, and
now we're like changing the whole scheme. Like maybe I
had my idea in mind, the athlete have their idea
in mind, and now coach is like, no, like these
are the looks, and I'm like, WHOA Like I that
just like knocked me off. So I think like coming off,

(50:45):
like to answer your question, coming off, it's very spontaneous,
but now I'm more like detailed on mood boards, sticking
to the mood board, sticking to the color schemes that
we talked about, and going off of that rather than
just like going off the vibes.

Speaker 1 (51:01):
I absolute love how you prepare and how you create
a unique look for each athlete that you style as well,
because you can tell, you can tell in the work
that you do right. And I love how the tunnel
fit now that people are taking it a little bit
more seriously, from the athletes to the brands that are
starting to invest into the WNBA with the increased games

(51:26):
go into forty four games, Like how do you prepare
for the season then, like, as you're also actively playing
overseas within you have to plan all of these different
looks for all all of your clients. Like how does
that work?

Speaker 5 (51:40):
I usually start around January, so I'll know my clients
that I have in January. And honestly, like, I can't
give enough credit to my team. I've been doing this
for four years and I finally figured out the best
recipe for me, and now I just feel so connected,

(52:01):
like with my players, and also understanding that a lot
of the clients that I do work with are so
much more than clients are. Like I have like really
like I have like a bond, like we're friends. And
I wanted to I wanted it. I wanted to create
a team that knew about my friendship but prioritize our
business relationship. So I start all my clients in January

(52:24):
and then I break down everything like that's when we
do the mood board. That's when we do like even
like the poses, like we reach out to brands, we
figure out looks that just like define who they are
and we come up with an alter ego. And that
takes me for me, that takes me, like at least
three months preparation for each athlete that I work with,

(52:46):
and then we go deeper into the color analysis and
I do the Korean color analysis approach because I feel
like that you can really, really really gain a lot
of knowledge about just your skin tone and how your
skin tone develops, like over the course of the year.
Like for me, like I'm not the same color that
I probably am like in the winter, and I follow

(53:08):
the I follow the winter my winter colors to the core,
like I am not wearing anything that's not in my
color analysis book, and my summer colors changes too. So
I do the same thing with my athletes, so they
send me photos.

Speaker 4 (53:21):
We go through that and we do like very deep
research before we even like put the clothes on.

Speaker 1 (53:27):
That I'm curious because you have so much knowledge of fashion.
You just talked about the color analysis, and I'm like,
I just do whatever I think looks good. Where does
all of that knowledge and expertise come from.

Speaker 5 (53:39):
My mom is like the most creative person I know.
When I was in eighth grade, she taught me the
impourtance of having a capsule. I went back to school shopping.
I didn't grow up with the most money, so She's like, girl,
you better get those four genes, those four button ups and.

Speaker 4 (53:54):
Make something work, you know.

Speaker 5 (53:56):
And I'm like, okay, I'm in eighth grade, Like what
do you talk about? And I started realizing that the
better prepared I came to shop with my mom because
she had the money, you know, I was.

Speaker 4 (54:07):
Gonna get more from my bank.

Speaker 5 (54:09):
And I didn't even realize that that's what I was
doing until I became now a stylist. I'm like, okay, like,
how can we not only save money but get everything
that we're gonna need for the season, and also like
be comfortable and confident knowing that I can wear my
pieces more than once. I'm a big believer, like you
need to be able to wear your pieces more than
once because we're not just shopping just to have all

(54:32):
these clothes and forgetting the stuff that we have. And
that's why I believe so much in color analysis, and like,
I'm so grateful for my mom for teaching me that,
and it helped giving me like those tools so early on,
because had I not known that, I'd be probably wearing
the same outfit thinking that I'm doing something, you know,
and that kind of helped me that helped me a lot.

Speaker 1 (54:52):
I would have to hear you back to school shop
and used to be so brutal when I was strunger,
give a little bit bigger. Eventually had those stapful pieces.
Say y'all, we're going to take another quick pause. And
when we get back more from this conversation with Christina Neigue,

(55:16):
when you think about your wardrobe, and you said, you
get pieces that you can invest in and wear multiple times.
But we live in a world of fast fashion right
now where the close quality isn't that good. And I
know myself like I've indulged in fast fashion, but now
I'm in the era of my life where I'm just like,
I just want to buy pieces that are timeless, pieces

(55:38):
that will have longevity, good material. So how do you
balance that where you're seeing fast fashion and become the
staple thing and some of the clothing quality is decreasing.

Speaker 5 (55:52):
Yeah, I noticed that honestly when I started stiling Skylar,
and that was the first person I started stiling. We
would go vintage shopping. We would go to vinted stores,
and we would go thrift shopping because I valued the
quality and I also didn't want to break my wallet
to get a freaking denim jacket when I can go

(56:13):
to the thrift store and get it for twenty five
dollars and repurpose it. And I think for me, thrift
shopping is the key, and it's the way to like
reuse your clothes. Also, you can bring your old clothes
back there that you don't even wear, and that could
be someone else's dream dress, you know. So for me, like,
I'm always about like that, like reusing, reselling your clothes
and making the most out of it.

Speaker 4 (56:34):
And that's how I've.

Speaker 5 (56:35):
Been, Like I probably own so half of my wardrobe
is thrifting and half of my stuff is brand gifts
and and.

Speaker 4 (56:45):
Then I make the rest, you know.

Speaker 5 (56:49):
And I think that that's the key. Like I if
something is too big for me, I'm not going to
just throw it away. I'm going to go to the
nearby tailor and get it stitched in. Or if it's
too small, I'm going to figure out, okay, like let
me resell that if it's like you know what I'm saying. So,
like I'm always trying to repurpose, reuse my clothing, and ultimately,
like I've made a budget and I've been sticking to

(57:11):
that budget for the last two years because I've been
doing that. Like if I'm like, okay, like I want
to I'm going to this event, and I plan so
far ahead i go, I really go off my colors
and I really just play off of that, and that
saves me time and money. I'm not going to the
store getting a getting a blue dress because that's not
in my color analysis.

Speaker 4 (57:31):
Book, like I'm going to get orange and red, you know.

Speaker 5 (57:34):
So I'm very like strict on that because I go
in the store sometimes I get overwhelmed, and sometimes I
just like want to buy something and I want to
like just have something I can stick to.

Speaker 1 (57:46):
Absolutely. Look, I'm still tired of brands using polyester. That
is just like it's it's it's so insane. But AnyWho,
that's what I'm.

Speaker 5 (57:54):
Saying that rifting girl, you need to go to the
thrift stores and get you something that's like better quality
than what you because that polyester it's it's like really
bad for your body too, you know exactly.

Speaker 1 (58:06):
Yeah. Now I've thrown like most of my fast fashion
stuff out, like I said, invested into timeless pieces, where
now I'm just like, yeah, I can't do it, like
I would rather spend the money to invest in good
things that will last in the fast fashion and we
see the turn tide and how brands are starting to
be more cautious of things that could be harmful to

(58:28):
the body. But I was just gonna say, like, the
attitude towards athletes in fashion have definitely changed and evolved
over the years. I mean, you bring up Skylar dick
and Smith, who is a client of yours, and I
think about her contributions to just the culture with the
headbands at Notre Dame and just how forward thinking she
was early in her career about building her brand identity.

(58:50):
What would you say is like the biggest misconceptions that
people have about, you know, athletes in the fashion space.

Speaker 5 (58:59):
Well, I don't work with Skyler anymore, but I do
love what she's done with fashion, and I love what
she's able, how she's able to collaborate with stilas. I
know Skyler has like she's she's definitely someone that like
is going to have her opinion and you're going to
hear her like, You're not going to run over her,
You're not going to dismiss her. She's somebody that, like

(59:22):
you want to come into the room listening to because
she's been in the game for so long and I
learned so much from her. I'm so grateful for working
with her in the past three seasons. Like I think
we've done incredible work together. But there's also like so
many athletes that now are like okay, like I've seen
what the older players have done, and I'm going to
do something like that too. And that's why like for me,

(59:45):
like with Olivia with her lingerie line, I'm like, that
is like such a unique spin to under like just
what athletes wear under their clothes. Like I was like
when she when we came up with the idea together.

Speaker 4 (01:00:00):
I was like, that is unique.

Speaker 5 (01:00:01):
And like Tiffany with her clothing brand, sayah, it's such
a unique twist on what minimalism is and like that
colorful spirit and good quality pieces for athletes, catered to athletes,
but also for anybody that wants to like have a
splash of color, but like a like a show stopping piece.
So like those two athletes I've kind of seen like

(01:00:22):
change the game. Obviously, we have Pagebeckers, we have cam
we have Rikiya, we have so many other athletes that
are like just stepping to the plate and being like
this is my brand actually angel like even like I
love what Kaiser has done in her time with Chicago,
redefining what like her style.

Speaker 4 (01:00:43):
Was and then getting like modeling gigs off the court.

Speaker 5 (01:00:47):
I think you see a lot of players now are
like I'm not gonna like put all my ex in
one basket. I'm gonna sprinkle that stuff around, you know.

Speaker 1 (01:00:54):
I absolutely love like the duality of how you guys
I'm an athlete, but also like tap to the feminine
side and just show that there's levels to it that
you're not just like one cookie cutter person. I love
how fashion gives you all like that canvas to express yourselves.
But thinking about your career, like I remember when the

(01:01:15):
first ka Originals ad dropped on social media. You had
Diamond this shield and all the people in the ads,
and I was like, oh my god, Like, you're really
doing something that's different, that's pretty much has never been
done before in the w NBA. When you think about
your journey, what has been the most I guess satisfying

(01:01:37):
thing about the work that you're doing in the fashion space.

Speaker 5 (01:01:41):
I think, honestly, like like I said, like when we
first met, like you only met me as a basketball player,
and then when people met like the designer version of me,
they were like, oh, I didn't know you had that
in you. And I'm like, well, surprise, you know. So
like it was just like the surprise.

Speaker 4 (01:01:59):
Element of it.

Speaker 3 (01:02:00):
And I think that it's connected me so much to.

Speaker 5 (01:02:02):
My roots, so much to my mom, Like we have
such a deep relationship, and I think, like, obviously, like
you want to like for me. I know, people are like,
I want to move out the house.

Speaker 4 (01:02:12):
I'm like, I want to.

Speaker 5 (01:02:13):
Live my love for as much for as many years
as I possibly can. And so now I'm kind of
like on my own. So I make pieces to remind
me of just how powerful our relationship is, and like
that's why I can get like there's so many lows
in this business, like inconsistent and maybe like it could
be like a late payment or whatever the case is.

(01:02:35):
And You're like, well, if I'm trying to have a
steady business, like I'm going to need all this to
run and flow, And I make I make pieces to
like connect me back to her so I can understand,
like this is still for the love of it, you know,
I still love this so much, Like she knew before
anyone else knew what else capable of doing.

Speaker 4 (01:02:56):
And if I.

Speaker 5 (01:02:57):
Can continue to making pieces that connect me to her,
I can continue to like have love for what I do,
because I don't want to burn out, and I have
so much love for designing, and I want to continue
being just a designer and a stylist and a creative.
I don't want to like wake up one day and
like I can't do this anymore. It's too it's too
like it's too hard, you know.

Speaker 1 (01:03:18):
I love the connectedness and just the story of how
your relationship with your mom has inspired you not only
to keep going but just creatively as well. To wrap
this up, what would you say are the top pieces
every person needs and their rewardsrope?

Speaker 5 (01:03:38):
Oh my gosh, I love this question. But I also like, oh, like,
if I had five pieces I probably could not live without.
It'd be like a nice flare denim, Like I need
a dnim like that is something that I wear probably
every single day. And then I would need something white,

(01:04:00):
and I wouldn't. I don't know if I would go
with white or beige, but white is such a show
stopper to me, Like when you see someone with white pants,
you're like wow, So I probably would do white, like
a white like maybe a pencil long pencil skirt, not
pants because I already have that in pants. So maybe
a white pencil skirt that's still a piece you can
style up and down but still keep it cool. Obviously,

(01:04:24):
a black flazer, like you can't live without that, and
I would get it oversized or something fun, because sometimes
a black blazer can get boring if it's not like
a suit like structures to your body, or if it's
not oversized, in my opinion, And then I would do
white button up of course, been blue button up.

Speaker 1 (01:04:42):
I agree with all of those pieces. I have everything
that you said in my list of things in my
classic currently, so I absolutely agree how you can pick
those staple pieces and dress it up and down. You've
done so much New York Fashion League, Paris Fashion Weeks.
What's next? What can people expect from you?

Speaker 5 (01:05:00):
I'm actually coming out with the course on how to
Design your Dream Collection with artificial Intelligence. I think it'll
make you so much more productive and it'll help you
give you some tools, like even if you don't want
to design a collection, you can design something for yourself.
And yeah, I really want people to have that education part.

(01:05:21):
So I think that's what's missing in fashion. Everyone kind
of is like, I want to be a designer, but
where do I start? Or it's too hard, I don't
have the tools, like I don't have a studio, but.

Speaker 4 (01:05:30):
No, let's go. Let's start online, like.

Speaker 5 (01:05:32):
I think the future, that's where the future is at,
and I want to be a step ahead of that.

Speaker 1 (01:05:37):
I love how you're merging fashion and technology. I'm looking
forward to seeing these courses come out. Christine, thank you
so much for joining us this week on in Case
You missed It.

Speaker 4 (01:05:49):
Thank you, thank you for having me.

Speaker 1 (01:05:52):
That's going to do it. For this week's episode of
In Case You Missed It with Christina Williams, don't forget
to like, review and subscribe to the podcast. Coming up
next week, we have WNBA training camp that will be
starting underway, so super excited about that, and we're gonna
be joined by New York Liberty head coach Sandy Broundello.

(01:06:16):
So you know, we can't start the WNBA season without
talking to one of the masterminds behind at twenty twenty
four championship. So I'm excited about that conversation. So I'll
see you back here In case you missed it with
Christina Williams is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership
with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us

(01:06:37):
on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get
your podcasts.