Angel Reese and Gabby Thomas showcase the love between sports and fashion on the cover of Vogue
Vogue taps Black athletes Angel Reese, Gabby Thomas and Frances Tiafoe to showcase the “perfect marriage” between sports and fashion.
Beyond their incredible athletic achievements, Angel Reese, Gabby Thomas, and Frances Tiafoe have one other thing in common—they are all in Vogue’s Winter issue. This week, the fashion publication revealed Reese and Thomas as the cover stars of its annual winter issue. Focusing on the interaction between sports and fashion, the issue highlights the ways in which athletes use style as a form of self-expression.
“It’s always been both: basketball and fashion,” Reese told Vogue. “But I was a fashion girlie from young too. I was always in my mom’s closet, putting on her stuff. I liked to carry a purse. Hair done. I wanted to look put together. I still do.”
Reese’s passion for fashion shined both on and off the court. While playing for LSU, the basketball player quickly became known for her glamorous gameday looks, earning her the nickname “Bayou Barbie.” Leaning into her love for sports and personal style, Reese made a fashionable WNBA draft announcement with Vogue in April 2024.
In addition to her hopes to excel in the WNBA, Reese, who grew up watching shows like “America’s Next Top Model” and has attended fashion events like the Met Gala, hopes to one day model in a “real fashion show,” like Paris Fashion Week.
When she’s not helping Team USA win a gold medal on the Olympic track, Thomas enjoys dipping her toes into a variety of industries. From utilizing her Harvard degree in the medical field to attending fashion shows, the Olympian says she’s been enjoying her tour of the fashion world.
“I’ve been so in athlete-world, I feel like I’m just starting to get a sense of what I like,” Thomas explained. “Not that I don’t have my own style. I do, but then I put on something like that white Carolina Herrera dress that I wore to the show, and it’s like, ‘Oh, oh-kaay.’ Since then, I’ve been doing more ‘pretty’ looks. And more polished. Same with the hair and makeup, I’m growing with that too.”
Unlike Reese and Thomas, who have leaned into attending fashion shows, etc., top-ranked tennis player Tiafoe’s appreciation for fashion is more personal. With no interest in attending industry events like Fashion Week, the tennis star showcases his personal style through his sartorial choices on the court.
“I wanted clothes to match [my passionate playing style], you know? Loud colors, bold colors, stuff that pops,” Tiafoe said, explaining his emphasis on his gameday outfits. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m battling as hard as I can for every point. But what we do, what we put our bodies through, at the end of the day, it’s in the service of entertaining people [and fashion is a part of that].”
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