Breanna Stewart, Joe Burrow, Russell Westbrook, DeAndre Jordan and Paige Bueckers Ethan Miller/Getty Images; Mike Coppola/Getty Images; Cole Burston/Getty Images; Soobum Im/Getty Images; Michael Hickey/Getty Images If you ask top sports stylists to explain the philosophy behind dressing superstar athletes, it won’t be long before one leans on a Deion Sanders quote: “If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play good,” said the trend-setting Hall of Famer, who spoke from experience as the only player to compete at the pinnacle of two leagues in the Super Bowl and World Series.
The (slightly abbreviated) quote is a succinct way to explain why stylists do what they do. (Hey, anything to win the game.) But lately, the confluence of athletes and fashion makes business sense, too, with sports offering a wider playing field for brands. “Over the past few years, brands have shifted from focusing on traditional celebrities to athletes, because they know that there’s a dedicated audience every Sunday,” says NFL’s inaugural fashion editor Kyle Smith, who also styles league superstar Joe Burrow. “For the Oscars or Grammys, it’s a gown or a full suit, so a streetwear brand can’t leverage awards season the same way that they can the tunnel.”
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“We’re only at the beginning of what will be a transformational shift across fashion, sports and entertainment as luxury houses continue to recognize the cultural power of tunnel walks, pregame arrivals and off-court style moments,” explains Kent Belden, founder and CEO of The Only Agency, a leader in the styling world and the first agency to launch a sports division.
Marketing-wise, that’s good game strategy. Where the conversation heads into overtime is discussing the actual work that goes into styling sports gods — whether from the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, NHL or MLS. There are obvious challenges, like sample sizes: Try fitting all of San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama into pieces pulled from a showroom with his 7-foot-4-inch frame and size 20.5 feet.
Then there’s the schedule. NFL teams play 17 regular-season games across 18 weeks; NBA teams play 82 games in a regular season; MLB hosts 162 games in 180 days; and the WNBA currently plays 44 regular-season games with an expansion to 50 next year. For stylists who work across multiple leagues, that’s a locker room full of tunnel fits to source, with travel to and from. The number of appearances rivals, if not surpasses, Oscar awards season.
To open up the playbook, The Hollywood Reporter polled stylists of top sports stars across multiple leagues, and they rolled up their sleeves to speak on the demands of maintaining their place in the field: adrenaline-fueled late nights, specialized sourcing, obeying specific tunnel codes and sticking to one goal when dressing the likes of Travis Kelce.
Chiefs star Kelce arrives to an NFL divisional round playoff football game in New York on Jan. 21, 2024, wearing a suit by Teddy Vonranson, Doc Martens and carrying a Bottega Veneta bag. “It fit like a glove, baby. I matched it with this shirt and hat and boot combo that I just had laying around,” he later said on his podcast. (Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images) The way Brittany Hampton describes her work is like listening to a coach detail game-day tactics on SportsCenter. “When working with athletes, we’re working with height, proportions and shoe sizes that the fashion system isn’t necessarily built to accommodate,” says the veteran who styles Russell Westbrook (fashion superstar and entrepreneur who just confirmed his NBA retirement); WNBA stars Paige Bueckers, Sabrina Ionescu and Raven Johnson; tennis breakout Sloane Stephens; and BMX rider Nigel Sylvester, among others. “Sometimes the perfect look simply doesn’t exist in their size, so you must create it. That means understanding tailoring, construction, fabrication and proportion, not just knowing what looks good,” she says.
The other battle is with the clock. When prepping 6-foot-8 power forward Koa Peat for the 2026 NBA Draft — selected in the first round by the Dallas Mavericks and eventually traded to the Phoenix Suns — Hampton says she phoned Nahmias designer Doni Nahmias and then followed up with 20 calls and worked with sources across three cities: “We were coordinating between Arizona and New York against a very tight draft timeline and getting detailed measurements, developing the silhouette, shipping the suit for fittings, pinning alterations and turning everything around almost immediately — all for one image.”
Hampton makes adjustments while styling client and WNBA star Paige Bueckers. Courtesy of Subject Courtney Mays, a top NBA and WNBA stylist who works with Chris Paul, Kevin Love, Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner, DeAndre Jordan and others, remembers the days when calls weren’t always returned. “The fashion world is still a little bit confused or apprehensive about men and women of a certain size or a certain race. It’s been a struggle to explain to showrooms and PR offices that you need a size 13 or above for a woman’s foot,” she says, adding, “Fashion can also tokenize people by picking five favorites. Of course, LeBron [James] is always going to get everything for free for the rest of his life, but that wasn’t always the case when we first started.”
LeBron James and Savannah James attend Time100 Sports Gala at Pier 60 in New York on July 16, 2026. Savannah was styled for the event by longtime stylist Casey “iCON” Billingsley. (Photo by TheStewartofNY/FilmMagic) When Mays styled Griner for the 2023 Met Gala, she leaned on L.A. shoemaker George Esquivel to make a pair in size 18 to go with a custom look by Calvin Klein. Mays also notes that one way she sources clothes for her clients is through gender-fluid dressing and pulling from men’s sections for her WNBA clients or shopping at sites like The Frankie Shop that do both.
Stylist Courtney Mays (center) poses with (from left) Breanna Stewart, Clara Wu Tsai, Jonquel Q Jones and Sabrina Ionescu at the Met Gala at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2025. Courtesy of Subject Mays discusses accessories with client and NBA superstar Chris Paul. Courtesy of Subject Jourdan Kadow, a wardrobe stylist for 10 years, was herself an athlete who played college volleyball until a shoulder injury forced a career pivot. “When I first started, I would ask for a double XL, and people would say, ‘What? Are you crazy? No, we don’t have that.’ Now, they’re reaching out to let me know that they have extended sizing,” she says. “It’s night and day, for sure. I love that everyone’s growing together.”
Kadow works with veterans and rookies alike — clients include Myles Turner, a 6-foot-11 center for the Milwaukee Bucks, Lakers small forward Dalton Knecht and Detroit Tigers pitcher Jack Flaherty — while also collaborating with brands like New Balance and working on campaigns and commercials for Jordan Brand’s Jumpman line. With someone like Turner, who wears a size 18 shoe, “He obviously wants to wear cool shoes, but they can be hardest to source. We found a brand called Blackstock & Weber that had cool loafers in different patterns and colors,” she says of her star client, who sat in Kenzo’s front row during Paris Fashion Week. “We ordered eight or nine custom loafers in different colors and patterns that he could wear with different looks. We had to wait a few months, but it was totally worth it.”
Myles Turner and his girlfriend are photographed outside the Kenzo show as part of Paris Fashion Week on Jan. 24, 2025. Turner was styled by stylist Jourdan Kadow. Edward Berthelot/Getty Images Kadow in front of her style suite in collaboration with Jordan Brand’s Jumpman line. Courtesy of Subject Casey “iCON” Billingsley styles professional basketball power couple Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat and A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces in addition to one of the highest-profile women to sit courtside in Los Angeles, Cleveland, Miami and soon to be Philadelphia — Savannah James, wife of NBA legend LeBron James. His key to success is simple.
“I have to stay strapped with a seamstress at all times. That is my secret sauce to making this job as seamless as it can be,” says Billingsley, who credits his twin sister (aka “the LeBron of Alabama”) for inspiring his love of basketball. “It’s literally a trigonometry class to get clothing to work sometimes,” he says, adding that at times he’s had to buy two identical pairs of pants or coats only to cut one up to add fabric to the other.
Gentleman’s Playbook founder Marchitelli (right) with client and MLB star Junior Caminero. Courtesy of Subject Tom Marchitelli blazed a unique trail in his rise to suiting mostly NFL superstars as a founder, designer and stylist for custom menswear brand Gentleman’s Playbook. While working at a New York City hedge fund, Marchitelli started an Instagram account in his downtime by posting (mostly headless) images of himself in a variety of custom suits. Within a year, he accumulated nearly 100,000 followers and a stuffed inbox filled with DMs from athletes inquiring how they could match his fits.
Marchitelli answered the demand by becoming a self-taught stylist and launching his company with the help of an expert tailor he still relies on today, more than 12 years later. His client list includes New York Knicks champ Jalen Brunson (“King of New York,” Marchitelli praises); a ton of star quarterbacks like Dak Prescott, Josh Allen (for whom Marchitelli delivered three wedding looks for his nuptials with actress Hailee Steinfeld), Baker Mayfield, Jayden Daniels; retired Patriots great Rob Gronkowski; Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson; Chiefs Super Bowl star Chris Jones; Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner; and the Bosa brothers (Nick and Joey) of the 49ers and Bills, respectively. (Marchitelli is also well known for making a variety of custom suits for Travis Kelce before his courtship with and eventual marriage to Taylor Swift.)
“My number one goal when dressing players is flattering their physiques. They have such incredible discipline and have structured their lives in such a way that they have these insane builds that help them perform their best on the field,” Marchitelli says, mentioning a time when he broke his measuring tape wrapping it around an NFL torso. “I want to accentuate that by making sure the jacket is hugging the chest and pinching at the stomach to showcase that V-shape. But if they are a little top heavy, I’m not going to put them in a skintight pant. Instead, we’ll do a little fuller cut in the pant so they have a more flowing silhouette from top to bottom.”
Marchitelli (right) on the carpet at NFL Honors with client and Dallas Cowboys star QB Dak Prescott. Courtesy of Subject Another focal point for Marchitelli is comfort, comfort, comfort. “If you’re a 300-pound, jacked athlete, you are not just walking from a car into a stadium, you’re also going to be wearing this suit on a plane while traveling or at a press conference, so they need to be able to sit down and not feel any pinching at the waist or have something rip,” he says, referencing his suits, which typically cost $3,000 to $4,000 but can go as high as $5,000 for rush orders. “The fabric needs to have a natural bit of give.”
He’s also not throwing every defensive lineman into an all-wool suit. “I hear the same phrase from every NFL player, ‘Hey, Tom, I run hot.’ The funny thing is, I’m 190 pounds and I run hot, too, so think about how hot these guys are that are 250 to 300 pounds. The fabric I use must have breathability as well.”
Or not: Marchitelli once made a $40,000 mink coat for an NFL player. Beyond the price tag, a point of pride for Marchitelli is dressing his guys for some of the biggest moments of their careers, whether that be their wedding day or Super Bowl Sunday. He’s also been flown around the country by star quarterbacks to fit entire offensive lines for custom suits as a thank you for protecting them all year: “Dak, Matthew Stafford and Daniel Jones all did it as a way to say, ‘You had my back all year, I’m going to say thank you.’”
Stylists have their clients’ back by doing loads of research, especially with accessories. “Athletes can be very specific on how they wear their armbands or sweatbands. How do they tie their laces? Where do they like their tights to hit on their knees? Are they superstitious about certain items?” Kadow says. “You have to really get to know them and study to see if what you’re putting them in is exactly what they would wear and how they would wear it so it can be authentic to how they want to show up on the court.”
And if the stylists can’t be there in person to pin, straighten or press before they hit the tunnel, they’re always on call. “Joe [Burrow] has such a strong point of view and his own love of fashion,” explains NFL insider Smith of the Bengals who has emerged as one to watch every week for his latest fit. “Sometimes he will text me asking, ‘How should I wear this?’ And I send a video of me tucking in the shirt the right way. The next day I’ll see that he did exactly what I told him.”
Burrow at the Met Gala at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 4, 2026. Burrow was styled by Kyle Smith, who works as inaugural fashion editor for the NFL. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images) Smith also acts as a fashion guide to a league comprising nearly 2,000 players. “The easiest way to describe what I do is education,” he says of his role. “Players are always asking me, ‘What’s cool to wear for the season?’ I talk to them about things I’m seeing or we chat about their interests. If they really love space, we get them a NASA T-shirt.”
Smith singles out one rule of thumb: Don’t dress a player in loud Versace if the team is on a losing streak. “I’ve had players say that they won’t want to wear something if it’s a home game versus an away game. Or, if they are losing that season, they may pivot from a fur coat to something less flashy.”
Brand Williams, a stylist who played basketball at Ohio University, adds another style consideration. “There’s a balance between being fashionable and prioritizing the individual’s brand as an athlete. Some guys want to position themselves with a more philanthropic platform, so they may want to present in a statelier fashion,” he explains. “Other guys may want to sit front row at Fashion Week, so we run through the journey to get them there so at the end of the season, they get those calls.”
Williams maintains a client list that includes the Portland Trailblazers’ Jrue Holiday, Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson and Mallory Swanson of soccer’s Chicago Stars FC, Detroit Pistons star Isaiah Joe, the Boston Celtics’ Mike Conley and more. In past years, Williams has had styling gigs with Burrow, Karl-Anthony Towns, Matt Barnes and Kyle Kuzma. Having worked in the field for years, he’s noticed a trend among sports’ biggest names as of late.
Stylist Brand Williams with NBA star Matt Barnes at a fashion event. Courtesy of Subject Williams (right) poses with NBA star Devin Booker. Courtesy of Subject “The moment has shifted from heavy branding moments to a quiet luxury approach,” he says. “A lot of the heavy hitters in the tunnel are still coming with it, but you’re seeing more quiet luxury in the way that you might not know who made those leather shorts or the pullover, and that’s by design. The MVPs of the tunnel, like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Jordan Clarkson, have toned it down in a way that shows they understand the power of their personal brands over a single fashion brand.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has emerged as one of the NBA’s most stylish stars, poses in Thom Browne at the Met Gala at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 1, 2023. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/MG23/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue) That’s not to say fashion branding has disappeared. Case in point: World Cup breakout star Erling Haaland of Norway has frequently been spotted over the years carrying a parade of bags from Louis Vuitton and Goyard to Tom Ford and Chanel. “The guys are bringing out the Birkins, the designer duffel bags,” Williams says. “I love it.”
Asked what labels are hot these days among athletes, Hampton cites Louis Vuitton, Prada, Bottega Veneta, Miu Miu, Saint Laurent and Loewe. However, she says she’s also seeing a shift. “The athletes with the strongest style right now are mixing luxury with emerging designers, custom pieces, streetwear and brands people may not know yet. I don’t want someone to look at my client and say, ‘That’s a great Gucci look.’ I want them to say, ‘That’s so Evan,’ or ‘That’s so Sabrina.’ That’s when I know we’ve done our job.”
It’s a gig that often requires caution to protect players’ most precious assets. “With A’ja, I don’t try to go too crazy with the shoe. Because of her athleticism and position, I like to protect her ankles because what’s most valuable to her is her step. She can wear a heel, but not too high,” Billingsley reveals. “I don’t want to put her in a kitten heel every time, but there’s a heel that she’s comfortable in that also looks good.”
If you look good, you feel good. Athletes always feel great when they’re winning, no matter the field or runway. Williams says that players “overtly and covertly” check each other’s outfits in the locker room to one-up one another, while Marchitelli says it’s more akin to elbows in the paint. “Guys are always looking to outdress each other,” he says, adding that he often makes suits in exclusive colors or styles to keep the peacocking as singular as possible. “[Fashion] is a competitive sport, too,” adds Billingsley. “They want to score and win the game, but they also want to score a hundred in the tunnel and beat their opponents’ looks, too.”
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