Remember 1999’s US Open? The leggy tennis star, who collaborated with Reebok on designing seven different outfits, one for each of her possible matches, has since become the latest celebrity to partner with the budget-minded retailer Steve & Barry’s on a women’s line.

Called EleVen after her one-time Lynwood address, it features more than 120 pieces of low-cost active wear, accessories, jewellery and under-$15 sneakers. The 27-year-old Williams says her collection grew out of a sketch of a pleated tennis skirt. “I couldn’t help myself,” she says. “I love pleats.”

From flirty skirts to puffy down jackets with removable sleeves, denim to jewellery, Williams’ brand is, according to Steve & Barry’s, the largest collection ever launched by a female athlete, and that includes her sister, Serena Williams.

Serena is in the process of launching Aneres (Serena spelled backward), a couture collection of formal wear, to be sold at high-end boutiques. And like many athletes, Serena has her own custom-apparel line with her sponsor, Nike.

But Venus has stepped outside the sports bubble by coming up with designs for a lifestyle brand that’s more in line with the kind of collections launched by big-name celebrities such as Sarah Jessica Parker, Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Lopez.

“We’re reading more about stars who are doing this sort of thing,” says Mary Stephens, fashion design director of Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. “With someone like Parker, it’s aspirational for the fans who admire her and who want to look like her by wearing the same kind of clothing.”

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