Tennis star Sloane Stephens is serving up fresh fashions right on time for summer.
As a partner with the women’s activewear brand, Solid & Striped, Stephens debuted her new line of swimwear and cover-ups on Thursday. The 2017 US Open champion modeled her own styles for the Solid & Striped campaign and made the special announcement on social media.
“Working with @solidandstriped has been a dream. Our goal was to create a line that makes you feel confident, comfortable, and always serving looks,” wrote the 28-year-old on Instagram. “I’m super particular about fit, so I focused on all the details like seams, ruching, and the cut to make sure your best assets are always on point.”
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The collection that Stephens’ designed features bright colors, flirty cutouts, prints, and asymmetrical designs, and Stephens said that the styles are named for some of her loved ones. The items are being sold on the Solid & Striped website and range from $84 to $228.
With the line debut, Stephens joins other tennis greats like Naomi Osaka who announced her work with Frankies Bikinis on a new swimwear collection earlier this week, and Serena Williams who launched her clothing line, Serena, in 2018.
“Fit is everything because if you’re constantly tugging at your look and adjusting things, you’re not focused on the match and what you have to do next, you’re worried about how you look,” Stephens said in an interview with PEOPLE.
“So for this collection, I really latched onto the idea of perfecting the details so women can focus on having fun and enjoying whatever they’re doing in the suit versus thinking about if everything is laying right.” Stephens also told PEOPLE that modeling for Sports Illustrated back in 2018 helped prepare her for the opportunity.
Stephens also competed in the 2019 US Open and just wrapped up the 2021 Madrid Open.
“Although I play in front of fans and media around the world and do tons of shoots for my sponsors, it’s obviously different being in swimwear!” said Stephens. “I am so proud of this collaboration and was excited to show off the suits, so it came together really naturally.” The photos of Stephens modeling the swimwear against lush, tropical backdrops were taken by Nigerian photographer Joshua Kissi.
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With #ShotGirlSummer on the way, Stephens says the swimwear is meant to be comfortable and promote confidence. When asked by Harper’s BAZAAR about what inspired the collection, Stephens spoke to a desire to help women be present.
“It’s been quite the year, and I wanted to keep things positive by inspiring women to feel confident and like total bosses,” said Stephens. “Whether you’re planning a long-awaited post-quarantine vacation, or hanging out at home, you deserve to look and feel amazing—don’t forget that. “
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