Serena Williams Presents Second Fashion Show Inspired By Africa

Serena Williams isn’t only the dynamite tennis star most of the world knows her as. She is also a fashion designer with not one, but now two fashion shows under her belt for her clothing line S by Serena.

She said it was important to her as the designer that people know where her ideas come from, because “ A lot of people don’t understand designers and what we think about,” according to Essence. Her second collection was inspired by trips she’s taken to Africa.

“I was thinking of some of my favorite places to travel, which ultimately when I thought about it, was Africa,” she said. “That’s where I got the giraffe print from.”

Giraffe themed prints are popular amongst Williams’s new line, which features sweaters, blazers, jumpsuits and elegant floor-length gowns.

She wanted her new collection to also offer eco-friendly patterns and includes pieces made with vegan leather.

“…I feel like a lot of things are being killed and we’re not saving the earth,” she said. “We can all just do one small thing and help out so that was also a lot of our inspiration.”

Eco-friendly and Africa-themed clothing weren’t the only updates Williams made to her new collection. As an outspoken activist for body positivity, she said part of her line is about ensuring diversity with the available sizes, “Good Morning America” reported.

In addition to giraffe-print, bright green is a popular color within Williams’s new collection.

“Green is the color of the season,” she said.

Williams’s career in fashion dates back to the early 2000s when she studied fashion design at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale in Florida. She first launched her clothing line in May 2018.