How Stylist Kesha McLeod Worked with Serena Williams

“I don’t have a signature,” says celebrity stylist, author and brand consultant Kesha McLeod. McLeod began her career as a music stylist, working with Brandi Simpkins, CEO of legendary celebrity image agency B.Lynn Group. She has been styling athletes since 2006, when she assisted pioneering men’s sports stylist Rachel Johnson in her collaboration with LeBron James. McLeod later set off on his own, and since then, if you’ve seen Serena Williams anywhere, or if you’ve seen James Harden, P.J. Tucker, off the court, off the court, or anywhere , Swin Cash or countless other sports stars, ice, you may have seen McLeod’s work. “I think visibility is a silent signature,” she said, “especially when working with athletes.”

McLeod played basketball as a child, and she’s excited to see female athletes taking up more space in the fashion world. She also challenged designers and brands to think bigger, show them at events, dress them for red carpets, and let their honor speak for themselves like men. Part of the way she hopes to do this is through styling. “I know I work harder every day, just like me and my guys,” she said. “There are always rejections sometimes, and I just work harder to make sure those are never rejections again.”

For McLeod, styling is all about storytelling and personality. She wants to create a look that matches her clients’ needs and wants them to be vocal about their needs. “No one likes someone who says ‘yes’ to everything,” McLeod quipped. “Give me something to let my mind fly: What inspires you? What are you looking at? What’s a cool thing to do? What moves you? “

This perspective led not only to the long-documented appearance of the aforementioned client, but to all of her own characteristics, from vanity Fair and “Coveteur,” “Into the Gloss,” and “Hypebeast,” among others. “I love creating a narrative and storyline and what that looks like for my clients,” she says. “As long as my imagination sparks it, I can make it into a movie.”

What is your styling philosophy?

My philosophy does not follow the norms of the fashion industry. It’s about knowing my customers and getting to know them. They are who they portray on the field, on the ice, and in the court. However, after leaving, their personalities are completely different. I use both situations to get to know the people I work with. This enhances my style on them. A lot of what I do is based on communication. I want my clients to have a voice. No one likes someone who says yes to everything. Let’s create an individual. We know very little about a lot of athletes except through press conferences, so I’m very creative and expressive. Typically, their presence on the field involves breaking out of the paint – why not show it off the field?

What do you want to know about your client before you start creating?

Give me something to let my mind fly: What inspires you? What are you looking at? What’s a cool thing to do? What moves you? I remember working with a client who was a football player and he didn’t know where to start.Then he said, “You know what I like? I like game of Thrones“. I thought, what’s in fantasy? But that’s all I need. Think John Varvatos, Lenny Kravitz, Jason Momoa.

Go in that direction and pull those things out. It was a leather vest, brown suede, playing with textures. That could be someone who isn’t afraid to wear a V-neck or isn’t afraid to wear a good pair of boots. Just give me a start and I can make it into a movie.

How is styling female athletes different from styling other celebrities?

When it comes to female athletes, designers and different brands are still trying to catch up and catch up — just like they do for women everywhere. I’m doing the exact same thing I’ve done for men in the past, using my name and credits from brands I’ve worked with before. It should be easy, but it’s still push and pull, still emailing novels about why this person is great and their accomplishments should speak for themselves. Every day I work harder to make sure we never get those “yes’s” again. Female athletes should be evident in deodorant ads, as should beauty and sports ads. Now, it’s like, “WNBA and Glossier, we’ve never seen this before.” Wow, women all want to be beautiful and breakthrough. It should always make sense.

How about Serena’s CFDA? look come together?

At CFDA, you have to work with an American designer, especially since she won the Icon Award, which is landmark. It’s about finding someone who can give me a moment to enjoy. I knew Thom Browne worked with people in sports, but I didn’t know he worked with women that often. Of course, Thom is on the CFDA board of directors. It was an amazing experience to get his approval and he said yes and created something for her. This is her first red carpet since giving birth, so what will she look like and what will accentuate her curves? I wanted to make sure she was snatched. The technical part of what I do is making sure my clients are as comfortable and flattering as possible: cinched waists, built-in corsets, filled cups, larger straps instead of spaghetti straps. Thom Browne came out with several different designs and we settled on a structure that I had never seen before. I think the fluffy shawl adds to the look. I think this is amazing. I like it.