When Naomi Osaka was crowned the new queen of tennis – that is, when she beat her idolized Serena Williams to the US Open in 2018 – she picked up her trophy in a custom-made white Comme des Garçons dress. It is not at all common for the Japanese firm to collaborate with celebrities, but the occasion deserved it: it was the first Japanese to win a Grand Slam in the individual category and Osaka did not think too much about it; Instead of choosing other more popular luxury brands, he opted for the most international brand in his native country. Question of priorities.
Naomi Osaka belongs to that generation of elite athletes who are aware of their role as public spokespersons; not only with his words, but also with his clothing choices. The one that was born when Michael Jordan defied social conventions and NBA codes by wearing red and black sneakers that bore his name and that were prohibited on the court (which, on the other hand, caused Nike to sell hundreds of millions of pairs to this day); who applauded in front of the television when Colin Kaepernick knelt while the national anthem sounded to protest against structural racism (a feat that earned him, years later, the right to veto in T-shirt and shoe designs of large multinationals for considering them racist) or that, more recently, has seen how Serena Williams used the courts as a stage to denounce the treatment given to women tennis players for their clothing. “We have a long way to go in tennis,” the athlete recently told the American edition of Vogue, “men and women are still judged with different standards and they are much more restrictive with us.” This year, Naomi has won the US Open again, and returned to collect her trophy in a dress that directly alludes to her roots; It was not Japan, but Haiti (where her father, Leonard Francis is from) to whom the tennis player wanted to pay tribute with a dress and a headscarf that made direct reference to her ancestors. “You know why I have put on this scarf to pick it up,” he wrote shortly after on his Instagram.
“Before I am a tennis player, I am a black woman,” Naomi has reiterated numerous times. Their social networks are plagued with racist denunciations and support for the Blacks Lives Matter movement. Also his appearances. Last September her matches went viral because the tennis player each wore a mask with the names of Gerge Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Trayvon Martin and other people killed at the hands of racist politics. “I remember Tryvon’s death perfectly,” she told USa Today, “I remember being a girl and being scared, I didn’t wear hoods to avoid arousing suspicion.” Shortly after, she postponed the semifinal match of the American Open in protest at the murder, days before, of Jacob Blake during the anti-racist protests: “As a black woman, I think there are more important issues than watching me play tennis,” she argued on her Twitter .
Naomi’s explicit positioning and clothing choices have made her an icon of style in times when brands need to demonstrate to the public that they are clear about their inclusion and diversity policies. This year alone, Naomi has teamed up with three, but she has done it in her own way: the first, how could it be otherwise, is Nike, for which she has made a collection of sportswear with the three flags of her respective stamped origins (American, Haitian and Japanese) and next to which he has just launched an advertisement that deals with bullying, racism and female empowerment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G02u6sN_sRc
The second, ADEAM, is a Japanese basic brand. Together with them, Naomi launched last September a capsule collection that reinterpreted the Japanese kawaii aesthetic and whose profits go to NGOs that support young people in disadvantaged situations. This month she just debuted as a handbag designer with the Scottish firm Strathberry; five handbags and two minimalist wallets, the sale of which is used to finance Play, a foundation that helps girls and teenage athletes to break through. The new tennis guru could collaborate with much more popular brands, but prefers, at least for the moment, to give a voice to those small brands that, like her, have something to say. “Commercially, we know that she is risking a lot,” her agent, Stuart Duguid, told Adweek magazine, “but for her these kinds of decisions are simple. She is very adamant about it and she is not going to change her mind. “The public knows what is real or not, it is quite obvious,” she commented about it in the same medium.
The tennis player has spoken repeatedly of her passion for fashion since she was a child. “I used to go in the van to the games reading fashion magazines,” he has commented on occasion. “For me it is the best way to express myself, it is a liberating experience.” Hence, even beyond her media appearances, Naomi’s choices have to do with sustainable brands, artisanal and mostly created by Asians or African Americans. She recently uploaded a personal image to her Instagram wearing her now iconic Haitian scarf and a dress by Pyer Moss, the designer, also with roots in Haiti, who has risen in popularity this year due to his outspoken anti-racist and anti-republican policies. And for the campaign of her collaboration with Strathberry bags, she wanted to be photographed with a pink jacket suit, a piece that during the elections became a symbol for the vindication of women’s rights and that singers, actresses and oteas did not hesitate to wear media celebrities. Shy confessed, Naomi Osaka has found a loudspeaker in fashion. And a way to show that dressing is also a political choice.
