As the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics square off in the NBA Finals, players from each team have brought their best game to the court and their best looks to the tunnel.
Basketball stars have turned their game day arrivals into runway spectacles. The “tunnel walk,” in which players make their way from an underground stadium entrance to the locker room, has become an opportunity for them to flex their fashion muscles before donning uniform. Golden State star point guard Stephen Curry has been using those appearances to showcase the work of independent black designers.
Sherri McMullen, owner of the Oakland McMullen boutique, has been working with Mr. Curry and his stylist, Sheraine Robinson, since earlier this year. “Her camp of hers reached out to see if she was available to design it for Black History Month, specifically with a focus on highlighting underrepresented black designers,” said Ms. McMullen.
Throughout the month of February, Mr. Curry posted many of those outfits on his professional Instagram account, @sc30inc, tagging menswear brands like June79, Talley and Twine, and Spencer Badu in his posts. On February 28, he wrote in an Instagram caption on his personal account, @stephencurry30, that while Black History Month might be ending, “#BHMFits doesn’t stop here.” In the postseason, he would continue to work with Ms. McMullen and Ms. Robinson to source pieces from black designers and shed light on his work.
The finals present an opportunity for players to show off their style and introduce designer names in front of a large audience. According to Nielsen, almost 13 million viewers were watching the peak of Game 1. (Game 2 peaked with more than 14 million viewers.)
For that reason, Ms. McMullen said, “The first look is always very important.” Patrick Henry, a Los Angeles-based designer who goes by “Fresh” and has a line called Richfresh, created a custom lightweight wool suit accented with red, green and yellow color blocks as a nod to Pan-Africanism. An Instagram video of the look, shared by the NBA and Golden State accounts, has nearly five million views.
“At least having Steph wear my clothes helps solidify my brand,” said Mr. Henry. “I am an independent operator, so moments like this are very important for the growth of my brand. And when he wears my clothes, he makes other NBA players pay attention.” He added that other players’ stylists reached out to him on Instagram after the tunnel walk.
For Game 2 of the final, Ms. McMullen turned to designer Akintunde Ahmad to dress Mr. Curry. Her brand Ade Dehye makes extensive use of screen printing and manufactures its garments in Ghana.
“It was a huge win to see someone of Steph’s magnitude wearing my coat,” said Mr. Ahmad, who was born and raised in Oakland. “We’re not talking about him wearing it to the car wash where someone may have taken a picture, we’re talking about walking to the NBA Finals where all eyes are on him.”
Mr. Ahmad said that engagement on his personal Instagram page and sales on his Shopify site skyrocketed within 48 hours of Mr. Curry’s appearance. “This is also a big win for people in the realm of sustainable fashion and goods production in West Africa, and Ghana specifically, because it shows that there are things coming out of that region that people often overlook,” the designer said.
Whitney Michel, a Parsons graduate whose minimalist Michel Men line includes socks, hats and scarves, designed the sky blue sweater Curry wore during Wednesday night’s pregame walk.
“It’s a stamp of approval and it feels like validation that I’m on the right track and I need to keep pushing,” he said, adding that “it really speaks to people in the industry who support me like Sherri, and those like Steph.” who really care about raising the voice of people who are worthwhile, but who may not always receive support.”
“He is helping to open doors that might not otherwise be answered by others unless it is Black History Month or June 16,” he added.
Randy D. Williams of Talley and Twine was excited to see Mr. Curry wear his brand’s Worley chronograph watch before Game 2. for 100 years and they’re giving celebrities free merchandise,” he said. “Unless celebrities go out of their way to do what Steph is doing, it’s really an uphill battle for smaller brands.”
Mr. Curry, who declined to comment for this article through his publicist, has a particularly strong influence on consumers. After Mr. Curry wore a green fleece Trophy Hunting tracksuit in May, the night the Warriors won the Western Conference championship, the company sold hundreds of tracksuits, according to Trophy Hunting founder Jason Gaines.
Mr. Gaines said that Mr. Curry drives sales even outside of California: “New York, the Midwest and everywhere else because he has fans everywhere, including overseas. We always get great success with orders from China and South Korea.”
“These basketball players have influence as musicians and rappers,” he added.
And that influence is not limited to fans. “These players are more influenced by each other than they are willing to admit,” Williams said.
Courtney Mays, a hairstylist whose clients include Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul, said the tunnel is linked to social media, “which is linked to consumerism.”
“So when you see Chris, Steph, LeBron, fill in the blank with the player’s name using a product, you can buy it, and in turn, you’re supporting that little business,” he said.
Visibility is remarkable. The NBA’s Instagram account, which frequently highlights tunnel walks, has 67.8 million followers. The Golden State Warriors and Mr. Curry have tens of millions of followers on Instagram.
Ian Pierno, a stylist who chronicles the fashions of NBA and WNBA stars on the Instagram account @LeagueFits, put it another way. “Celebrities like actors and musicians only get a few red carpets a year, but basketball players play 80 to 100 games,” he said. “They basically have a red carpet every third day of the year if you hand them out.”
Joe Williams, who runs @LeagueFits with Mr. Pierno, said that translated into “100 different opportunities to be a platform.” “When you watch another popular sport, like professional soccer, there are only about 20 opportunities,” he said.
Source: www.nytimes.com