She may have designed several items inspired by her newly crowned BFF Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, but Serena Williams told People that she’s careful about what items from her Serena clothing line she sends to her royal friend.
“I love when Meghan wears our pieces,” Williams told the magazine, while appearing at the launch of her L.A. pop-up shop last weekend. The duchess was famously photographed wearing the Serena “Boss” blazer in October, much to Williams’ delight.
After launching the brand “inspired by femininity and strength” last May, Williams now tells People: “I find my inspirations through aspiration and aspirational people, so our collection right now is really about all aspiration.”
I think we’d all agree that Markle’s fairytale-like transformation into British royalty has been aspirational for many. But with that transition comes a bit more curation on the part of her equally famous friend when considering what styles to gift the duchess, whom she befriended in 2010.
“We don’t [send her the whole line] because some of that stuff we know is like, OK, maybe she wouldn’t be looking at the color-block pants, because I don’t know if it’s appropriate,” she told the magazine. “But years ago, I would have, you know? But now, I have to really think about it.”
But changing styles and royal protocol aside, mutual support is at the forefront for Williams, who also appeared alongside student activist Naomi Wadler and new Teen Vogue editor-in-chief Lindsay Peoples Wagner at last weekend’s 2018 Teen Vogue Summit.
“For us, women of color, [it’s] really important for us to support each other,” she told the summit audience. “I always like to say that the success of one woman should be the inspiration for the next. And if we look at it that way, there’d be so much more that we could accomplish.”
And now that one of her closest friends is about to become a fellow mom, we can only imagine Williams will have plenty of insights to share, as she’s been transparent about her own journey in becoming mother to one-year-old Alexis Olympia.
“[G]oing through that was a whole different experience that I was not aware and ready for. I don’t think you can ever be really prepared for it,” she said on stage. But while her life as a high-profile multi-hyphenate would be difficult for most to manage, she told People her fashion line “represents all the facets of my life as an athlete, an entrepreneur, and now, a mother.”
“I just love what I do. Mostly I love being a full-time mom,” she told the Teen Vogue audience. “I’ve been with her every day of her life. I haven’t missed a day. ... I never thought I would be the mom that would be so hands on. I always thought I would do this or I would do that. My life is built around my daughter now. And I love that.”
The Glow Up tip: The Serena pop-up shop is now in Miami on Collins Avenue through December 29.