Venus Williams has already done time dabbling with couture: she’s in fashion school (almost done) and she wears them on the court (remember Diane von Furstenberg-designed Wimbledon dress?).
Now she’s ready for the other end of the spectrum. Her EleVen line with low-end retailer Steve & Barry’s will drop in November. This is S&B’s third collaboration with a female star (following Sarah Jessica Parker‘s “Bitten” and the “Dear” collection with Amanda Bynes) and the second involving an athlete (Starbury shoes are the first).
EleVen’s launch collection comes with more than 120 pieces, and covers a wide spectrum, from performance apparel to loungewear, accessories and footwear. Looks include cool sneakers for a variety of active fields, velour tracksuits, pleated tennis skirts, fleece jackets, graphic T-shirts and even sports socks and bras. Sneaker styles are named after tennis terms such as Ace, Deuce and Swing. Many of the items are versatile in nature and can be worn to work out or go out in. Like Steve & Barry’s other lines, every piece is priced at $19.98 or less, and Williams is expected to wear much of it during the U.S. Open, including the sleek Court sneakers, which sell for $14.98.
What’s in a name?: The line’s name is derived from Venus’ address in Compton, Calif. (where she grew up).
If you can’t wait: As a promotion for the U.S. Open, the Steve & Barry’s at the Manhattan Mall will have 100 pairs of the line’s Court Shoes on sale tomorrow.
(WWD via nitro:licious)
If what she has been wearing during her games is any indication on how the final line will come out then I’ll be the first one to get my hands on eleVen!
But seriously, I think a lot of people are put off by the pricing as we automatically equate quality with price but the unique thing about Steve and Barry’s is that they offer high quality merchandise for reasonable costs. This is why so many people are attracted to the company. After all Venus, Sara Jessica Parker, and Marbury could have gone elsewhere easily I would imagine. And their fans would have paid a hefty cost as a result.
“low end” is putting it nicely. This stuff looks like crap. Very cheap looking from what I’ve seen on TV so far.