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.”

Steve & Barry’s has also been drawn to celebrity wear. Last year, it released its first athletic-inspired sportswear line, Starbury. “It brought a lot of new customers to us, and what really made a mark was entering the women’s market a few months ago with our Sarah Jessica Parker brand,” says Howard Schacter, chief partnership officer of Steve & Barry’s stores, which also carries lifestyle brands by Chicago Bulls star Ben Wallace. “But the EleVen brand opens us up to a new category of woman shopper, and we have very high hopes for it.”

Williams, who models the clothing on Steve & Barry’s Web site, debuted several pieces from her collection at this year’s US Open and has been sporting the brand at matches ever since. She says it’s attracted a lot of attention in the locker room.

“All the players and trainers were like, ‘Is that your line? It’s so cute,’ ” she gushes. “It’s great that my colleagues like it. It’s really what I’ve always wanted,” added Williams, who will be graduating from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale with a degree in fashion design in December.

“Obviously, I wanted to finish school first but ... Steve & Barry’s believed in me, and that’s so important because if someone doesn’t quite believe in you then they won’t believe in your vision.”

So, what was her vision? “My vision for EleVen is that whoever wears it will have a fashionable fate,” she says. “Whether you’re in the car or at the gym, or if you happen to play tennis like I do, you’ll look good and feel good.”
-sandra barrera (NYT)