It’s been a big week in Caitlin Clark news. Not only was the Iowa player drafted Monday by the Indiana Fever as the first pick, but she suddenly became very on the radar of the fashion world by showing up for draft night in head to toe Prada, which she said was the first time the Italian brand had dressed a player for either the WNBA or NBA draft.
The look was made up of a white double satin shirt and skirt, embroidered rhinestone mesh top, black brushed leather slingback pumps, black Galleria handbag, and acetate sunglasses. She also wore John Hardy jewelry.
Later in the week she was in her new home town of Indianapolis for her first press conference as a Fever player, and arrived for the occasion in Louis Vuitton: specifically, a crossover bust dress in wool-silk cady, paired with a jewel button tuxedo jacket with satin lapels, a Pico GO-14 handbag with gold and silver-tone studs and the brand’s Signature pump, with gold-tone monogram studs.
Behind both looks is Adri Zgirdea, a stylist who works with other athletes and began working with Clark through her agency, Excel Sports (Zgirdea works with other Excel clients).
“I wanted to take Caitlin’s natural flair and bold playing style from the court to the orange carpet [at the WNBA draft],” Zgirdea says of her approach to styling Clark for the big night. “She already has a knack for captivating people through her confident and record breaking game play, so styling her is all about taking that bold energy and translating it into a look that reflects her personality, values and the moment.”
“For the WNBA draft, Caitlin and I talked about putting together a look that was fresh, substantive and stayed true to her,” Zgirdea adds. “I immediately knew Prada would be the perfect brand to help create a vibrant yet timeless look that was not only memorable, but a first.”
Being a “first” was central to how Zgirdea thought about what brand to work with for the draft night.
“I always consider my clients’ personal story when working on ‘milestone looks’ in their career. Caitlin is a record breaker in so many ways, I knew the look had to be some kind of ‘first’ and my initial thought was Prada,” she says. “I’ve worked with the brand for a couple of my male clients, and had the most wonderful experience. The brand ethos and Caitlin’s style was such a fit: true craft, substance over showiness and they had never dressed anyone for the draft: the stars really aligned.”
As for the Louis Vuitton look at the press conference?
“LV is a brand that Caitlin loves, so it was not a question of ‘if,’ rather ‘when’ and ‘where,’” Zgirdea says.
Zgirdea is of Romanian and Serbian descent and emigrated to the U.S. when she was a child. She’s always loved fashion, she says, but studied finance in college (“European parents, remember?” she says) before pivoting to fashion. Her background includes personal shopping, merchandising, managing and buying. Styling athletes “came about serendipitously,” she says, “as I had two friends in the sports industry, one at Priority Sports and the other at BDA Sports (which merged with WME).”
She’s worked with Josh Richardson of the Miami Heat, Zach Collins of the San Antonio Spurs, Corey Kispert of the Washington Wizards, Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets and more.
“It typically takes five years before a major fashion brand will agree to dress any athlete. They want to see players established and generating buzz before they make the investment to work together,” Zgirdea says of her experience. “That makes Caitlin’s look at the WNBA draft exciting and groundbreaking, because this is also the first time any player, male or female, has been dressed by Prada for the draft. This is a clear example that brands are paying attention, and could lead to more players collaborating with major fashion brands in the future.”
Which is to say that while Prada and Louis Vuitton are the early high end brands that have been seen Clark, her fashion journey is just beginning.
“Caitlin is a head turner, whether that’s on the court, being the first to wear Prada at the draft or making a guest appearance on ‘SNL’ – she’s got people talking and investing in women’s sports in a way we’ve never seen before,” Zgirdea says. “Brands looking to stay on the cutting edge of pop culture should be watching because Caitlin is already breaking glass ceilings and this is just the beginning.”
