For Stephen Curry, the pregame “walk through the tunnel” where players have a chance to express themselves with a tailor has evolved in recent years into an opportunity to support black designers.
“People don’t see us for the two hours we’re on the court. It’s four hours before the game when you get out of the car or bus, walk into the gym, and there’s cameras everywhere,” Curry, 36, tells PEOPLE.
The Golden State Warriors star continues, “That’s when he comes to work, he’s ready to work, and what you’re wearing just shows the energy and the kind of time you’re having.”
Curry recently announced its partnership with Rakuten and the Black In Fashion Council (BIFC) to create a platform that brings more visibility to black designers, helping them grow and expand their businesses.
Curry says the tunnel walk has “never been a thing” during the “history of the league,” and says he suspects “social media obviously helps” with that, but Curry stresses the importance of the concept has grown greatly in recent years. “It has evolved dramatically over time,” he says.
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“And I think you can see a whole range of looks from every player over a period of time, whether it’s a casual tracksuit to something designer to whatever. So who’s who, the guys who’ve taken some risks and done some wild things. But for me it’s that’s just fun. You’ve got all those eyeballs on you.”
Curry won his fourth championship with the Warriors in 2022 and says his pregame attire during that season was meticulously planned.
“The 2022 playoffs was when I had a cohesive kind of strategy around how I was going to show up to every game and work with the stylists and my team, and we had the looks of all the black designers and black-owned brands that I was able to wake up for that entire playoff, Curry says.
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Curry and Rakuten have selected looks from designers from the BIFC network for NBA stars to wear in the tunnel this season.
On Wednesday, Curry matched a black moto-style jacket with black pants, a white T-shirt and black Savant Studios boots for his walk through the tunnel before the Warriors beat the Memphis Grizzlies 137-116.
Stephen Curry.
Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty
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Curry tells PEOPLE that he spent time with each of the designers, including Head of State, Advisory, Des Pierrot and Pierre Blanc. “They all have such unique stories, and their backgrounds really speak to how different each brand is,” he says.
“I’ve met almost half of the designers I’ve worked with in person and got to talk them through the whole styling process and all that, and letting them take risks with what they want to see me in and their own brands is pretty cool.”
And if fans see something they like on the NBA star, they can easily find the piece for themselves through Rakuten. “Once you see it on me and once you see it walking down the tunnel, you know where you’re going to find it the next day.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education