Virgil Abloh, the genius behind Off-White, created a truly head turning look when he collaborated with Nike to create Serena Williams’ iconic tutu dress. The dress that she wore as she won the U.S Open match, the first one she played since giving birth to her daughter.
This inspiring collaboration sparked a fire in Abloh but the focus shifted from tennis to track and field. The designer teamed up with Nike again to make a collection that focused on performance in a saturated athleisure market. Abloh wanted clothes that could perform and not just create clothes for the sake of. Abloh recruited eight outstanding female athletes, including sprinter English Gardner, heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson and high jumper Cecilia Yeung to walk the runway alongside familiar fashion favourites, such as Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid. The collection was clean and crisp with white skirts, shirts, shirt dresses and tank tops.
Off-White is a household name for streetwear and those fundamental “out of the box” elements were prevalent in this collection with patchwork designs and a top made from cut up Nike socks. Abloh did not lose the Off-White momentum, incorporating the brand’s signature cross in the embroidery.
The collection was a breakthrough for athleisure. A brand that is built on performance with a brand that is built on impeccable street-style, joined to create the ultimate athletic collection– clothing that can function for the athlete and still make a fashion statement.
By Lindsay Selliah
Photos by Kim Weston Arnold via Vogue
