Five Athlete Stylists on Tunnel Fits, Art, and the Business of Dressing Sports Stars
In a conversation with CULTURED, Sydney Bordonaro, Courtney Mays, Brittany Hampton, Kesha McLeod, and Dex Robinson shared insights into their journeys in styling professional athletes. Bordonaro, hailing from Pittsburgh, commenced her career in August 2021 with Jewell Loyd and landed her first significant campaign in May 2023 featuring Napheesa Collier and others. Mays, originally from Cleveland, began styling at 15 with Details and has worked with notable figures like LeBron James and Sue Bird, thanks to connections with Kevin Love and Lindsay Kagawa Colas. Hampton, a San Francisco native, previously worked at Ford Models and Nickelodeon and won House of DVF. McLeod, from Queens, started at Mony's and credits Pharrell Williams as a key influence. Robinson, from Richmond, began as a menswear intern at Nordstrom and looks up to Lenny Kravitz. They all perceive tunnel fashion as a means of personal expression.
Key facts
- Five stylists—Sydney Bordonaro, Courtney Mays, Brittany Hampton, Kesha McLeod, and Dex Robinson—were profiled in a CULTURED questionnaire
- Bordonaro's first styling job came in August 2021 when Jewell Loyd asked her to dress her for pregame tunnel walks
- Bordonaro's May 2023 Google Pixel campaign with Napheesa Collier, Kelsey Plum, and others was her first major commercial
- Courtney Mays began in fashion at 15 or 16 at a hometown boutique called Details in Cleveland, Ohio
- Brittany Hampton won House of DVF and worked at Ford Models and Nickelodeon simultaneously
- Kesha McLeod's early pivotal moment was working with stylist Rachel Johnson on projects for LeBron James
- Dex Robinson's first fashion job was a designer menswear sales intern at Nordstrom
- Hampton would buy a Kara Walker work, McLeod a Rashid Johnson coffee table, and Robinson a Barkley L. Hendricks work
Entities
Artists
- Sydney Bordonaro
- Courtney Mays
- Brittany Hampton
- Kesha McLeod
- Dex Robinson
- Simone Biles
- Teyana Taylor
- Allen Iverson
- Jewell Loyd
- Napheesa Collier
- Kahleah Copper
- Dearica Hamby
- Isabelle Harrison
- Arike Ogunbowale
- Kelsey Plum
- Didi Richards
- LeBron James
- Sue Bird
- Steph Curry
- Megan Rapinoe
- Diana Taurasi
- Kevin Love
- Rashid Johnson
- Mickalene Thomas
- Lindsay Kagawa Colas
- Kara Walker
- Pharrell Williams
- Lenny Kravitz
- Barkley L. Hendricks
- Diane von Furstenberg
- Rachel Johnson
- Cameron Brink
- Paige Bueckers
- Sabrina Ionescu
- Russell Westbrook
- Angel Reese
- Jordan Clarkson
- Olivia Miles
- Karl-Anthony Towns
- Serena Williams
- Venus Williams
- Jonquel Jones
- P.J. Tucker
- Deebo Samuel
- Mikal Bridges
- Jaylen Brown
- Justin Fields
- Jalen Hurts
- DK Metcalf
- Tyrod Taylor
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- Stefon Diggs
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker
- Tyrese Haliburton
- Jenna Lyons
- Tracee Ellis Ross
- Willy Chavarria
- Solange
- Jeff Goldblum
- Issa Rae
- Miles Davis
- Jim Poorten
Institutions
- CULTURED
- Ford Models
- Nickelodeon
- House of DVF
- Nordstrom
- Nike
- Jordan Brand
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Golden State Valkyries
- Golden State Warriors
- New York Knicks
- WNBA
- NFL
- NBA
- Pepperdine
- Long Beach State University
- Tower Records
- Details
- Mony's
- Pulse
- Green Acres Mall
- Cameo
- N.E.R.D.
- The Neptunes
- Getty Images
- WWD
Locations
- Pittsburgh
- United States
- Pennsylvania
- Cleveland
- Ohio
- San Francisco
- California
- Queens
- New York
- Richmond
- Virginia
- Los Angeles
- London
- United Kingdom
- Ibiza
- Spain
- Sausalito
- Connecticut
- Hollywood Hills
- Carlyle Hotel