Serena Williams is CFDA’s Fashion Icon of 2023

A look at Serena's most memorable fashion moments in honor of her new Fashion Icon status

Serena Williams, the 23-time Grand Slam, and 4-time Olympic Gold winner has been named the CFDA Fashion Icon of 2023, making her the first athlete to receive the award.

Serena has been known to be expressive with fashion, since early on in her career when she and her sister rocked the iconic headful of beads and has since smashed the old dress codes of tennis. She stayed experimental throughout her 27-year career, challenging the status quo with elements of fun and activism added to her on- and off-court outfits. She made the reveal to her outfits as much an event as her playing, often creating media frenzy over what she chose to wear to a competition— for example the black catsuit worn to the French Open, followed by the one-sleeve tutu for the US Open in response to the reaction to the catsuit.

Off-court, she was the first black female athlete to feature on the cover of Vogue in 2012, and has been featured three more times since. She has been a guest at the coveted Met Gala several times, and has a number of Nike collaborations under her belt, including one with the late great Virgil Abloh.

In 2020, she debuted S by Serena at the New York Fashion week, and it has since been her creative outlet.

Previous winners of the award include; Naomi Campbell, Zendaya, Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce..

Below are some of Serena’s most memorable fashion moments: