Naomi Osaka styled, photographed by all-Black team for Vogue Hong Kong cover
Osaka joins Stephanie Au and Eileen Gu in three digital covers highlighting 'Women in Sports' for the magazine
On a special ‘Women in Sports’ Olympics cover, Naomi Osaka was styled and photographed by an all-Black team for Vogue Hong Kong.
Vogue Hong Kong shared stylish shots of tennis superstar Osaka ahead of the Olympics. Along with Stephanie Au and Eileen Gu, the digital exclusive covers highlight some of the most talented women set to take the world stage at the Olympics.
Osaka’s cover was styled by an all-Black team: stylist Law Roach, hairstylist Martin-Christopher Harper, and makeup artist Autumn Moultrie, with AB+DM taking the photographs.
The caption from Vogue Hong Kong’s official Instagram reads, “#NaomiOsaka is the first of three #VogueHongKong digital exclusive stars for the Olympic ‘Women in Sports’ special.
Osaka is currently ranked 2nd worldwide for singles in Tennis, and will be competing in the #TokyoOlympics where she will be making her debut representing Japan!
At just 23 years old, Osaka is the world’s highest-paid female athlete, and also takes the time and effort to give back to the community, empowering women in sport with her initiative, the Naomi Osaka Play Academy.”
The caption then proceeds to detail the entire team behind the exclusive shoot, including: “Photographer: @ABDMStudio @TheOnly.Agency, Stylist: @LuxuryLaw @TheOnly.Agency, CGI Artist: @Fergus.Yip, Hair Stylist: @TheMartyHarper, Makeup Artist: @AutumnMoultrieBeauty, Casting Director: @JillDemling.”
Another shot shared to the account shows a profile of Osaka rocking silver tennis racket earrings. Detailing her various business endeavors outside of tennis, the caption reads, “…Osaka is not only renowned for her sporting prowess, but has also made waves in the world of fashion and beauty.
Her swimwear collection with #FrankiesBikinis is inclusively designed for all women, while her upcoming skincare brand #KINLO will create sun protection products for darker skin tones. And Osaka does it all in style – the star was named a #LouisVuitton brand ambassador this past January!”
For the article accompanying the photoshoot, Osaka opened up about tennis and the mental pressures surrounding her position on the world stage.
She explains, “Tennis is a solo sport, you cannot rely on a teammate when you’re having an off day. It’s about trusting yourself and the work you put in prior to the match.”
She acknowledges that it can be hard for female athletes out on the playing field. “You may lose more than you win, be told ‘no’ more than ‘yes’ but if you stay the path, and put in the work, you can be the best version of [yourself].”
As TheGrio previously reported, Osaka recently wrote an op-ed for Time magazine detailing her relationship with the press and her hopes for the future of tennis.
She writes, “… in my opinion (and I want to say that this is just my opinion and not that of every tennis player on tour), the press-conference format itself is out of date and in great need of a refresh. I believe that we can make it better, more interesting and more enjoyable for each side. Less subject vs. object; more peer to peer.”
You can see the full photoshoot and read Osaka’s interview for Vogue Hong Kong, here.
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