Serena Williams named ‘Fashion Icon’ at Fashion Night

Williams, who retired last year, was the first athlete to win the CFDA Fashion Icon Award. In addition to her groundbreaking tennis career, she was honored for her work as a designer, entrepreneur and philanthropist.

Fashion’s equivalent of the Oscars will be held at the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan, hosted by Anne Hathaway.

When Williams, now 42, retired from tennis, she said she needed to make the difficult choice to focus on motherhood. She gave birth to a baby girl in August, almost exactly a year after her last match as a tennis star. Adira River Ohanian is Williams’ second child and second daughter with her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian . Their first child, Olympia, was born in 2017.

Williams was already a newsmaker in the fashion world before retiring from tennis. In 2018, she launched her “S by Serena” clothing line, and in 2019 she launched a jewelry line. In a statement before the event, designer and current CFDA president Thom Browne called Williams “one of the most inspiring people in the world… who represents greatness at the highest level.” Browne said she has been “the ultimate in personality.” A model for “everything she does” and “a true fashion icon”.

In her speech, Williams said that since she was a little girl, “I have used fashion as an outlet to express myself. Fashion gave me the confidence to go out on the court, acknowledge who I am and know where I’m going. .”

She added: “My dream of having my own brand, S by Serena, has become a reality… It’s been a lot of fun learning my own style and letting it change as my life evolves, but I’ve always held The truth is this: fashion is for everyone, no matter your size, race or income.”

CFDA Awards are presented by Amazon Fashion.

Last year, Kim Kardashian won an award for her shapewear range and used the opportunity to call on designers to be inclusive of all body types.

This story corrects Serena Williams’ age. She is 42 years old.