Serena Williams Divulges Inspiring Mission Behind Serena Williams Design Crew at Nike

The tennis icon just released her latest collection with the sportswear brand and her eponymous design group.

Serena Williams / Marc Piasecki/Getty Images

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Back in 2019, Serena Williams founded her eponymous Design Crew at Nike. Her intention was simple: to bring diversity to the design space through an apprenticeship program that gave a diverse group of aspiring designers the chance to work at the sportswear company—and on her signature collections.

She had been a longtime Nike partner (she first signed with the company back in 2003), and wanted to take the relationship to the next level. Since, the aptly named Serena Williams Design Crew (SWDC) has fostered the ambitions of numerous designers, who have worked with the iconic tennis player to craft a number of incredible collections.

On Sept. 17, the cohort released their latest collection. This time around, the group of designers all hail from Williams’s childhood hometown of Los Angeles. “I’m excited to continue my partnership with Nike and proud to provide emerging Los Angeles designers a platform to explore their craft and bring a touch of our dynamic LA edge to sport style in an influential way,” the athlete said in a Nike press release.

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Like each Design Crew that has come before, this latest iteration is “not only about designing it’s about bringing diversity to Nike,” Williams wrote on Instagram. “These designs were created by a group of diverse designers with fantastic ideas. I love bringing them to Life.”

The most recent collection features five clothing items and one lifestyle sneaker. But, most importantly, it promotes the mission at the heart of Williams’s SWDC: encouraging diversity in design.