Exclusive: Steph Curry Announces Partnership to Elevate Black Designers

Warriors star Steph Curry has an incredible new partnership with Rakuten and the Black in Fashion Council

Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry has partnered with Rakuten and the Black in Fashion Council (BIFC) to help spotlight up-and-coming Black designers. Rakuten is the leading shopping destination for Cash Back and rewards, and they have partnered with the BIFC to provide holistic support for Black designers through several different initiatives, including this partnership with Curry.

For Curry, his involvement in this partnership will come in several unique ways. Throughout this entire NBA season, Curry will host conversations with BIFC designers, elevate them through his social media platforms, and even rock different looks from BIFC designers during his pre-game tunnel walks entering the arena. These looks will come from Black designers and labels including Advisry, Des Pierrot, Head of State, Pierre Blanc, and Savant Studios.

Speaking exclusively with Sports Illustrated's Inside the Warriors, Curry broke down what this partnership means to him, and why the elevation of Black creators is something he is so passionate about.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

"It's a wild experience for me," Curry said. "Just because when you grow up being in sports, you understand that fashion and culture and sports all collide in terms of how people express themselves on and off the court, what shoes you're wearing, how you look. Now with the tunnel walks, how us as NBA players show up to games gets as many eyeballs as maybe the game does."

Recognizing how unique this platform is, Curry added, "So for me, it's about creating opportunity and representing and elevating the 'under' as I like to call it. Representation has always been at the forefront of every industry that I become a part of. Being in a situation where you have the Black in Fashion Council and Rakuten coming together and being creative around how can we leverage that platform? That opportunity to create awareness, drive traffic, create support for some very talented up-and-coming Black designers that need just that little boost for the world to understand who they are, what they're about. And for me, kind of putting all that together is a dream come true."

Using his pregame entrances as one of the ways he plans to elevate these Black creators, Curry recalled a moment from two postseasons ago when he was seen entering the arena carrying a book that one of his college friends wrote. The book was The Movement Made Us by David J. Dennis Jr., and just Curry carrying it during that tunnel walk drove a level of traction the Warriors star recognized he could leverage for other projects he was passionate about.

"When you get to opening night, that five minutes when I get out the car, get off the bus, and walk into the arena, there's cameras everywhere," Curry said. "It's a great platform and opportunity for me to share what's important to me, and not just how I look."

"So even during that playoff run, I was wearing looks from Black designers that were moving the needle to me," Curry added. "The evolution of that platform has been wild from the time David Stern back in the day put in the dress code, to how now there's an ultimate range of how guys show up to the games... The snapshots of stuff that I've worn over the last 15 years always tells a story of what's going on in that moment, and what energy I'm feeling. So I'm excited that I can be a little bit more thoughtful and intentional about how I show up this year, and this program, this initiative is a reflection of that."

The evolution Curry mentioned isn't just seen in the size of this platform, but also how it's used. A lot has changed in fashion since Curry entered the league, which is something the star point guard joked about when looking back at his old game fits.

"I was joking, I remember my very first fit that I wore to my first NBA game and how good I felt in it, and now looking back how terrible I actually looked walking into the arena," Curry said. "That platform has only increased in the last 15 years, and the eyeballs that I have when I walk into the game. So this is gonna be a really cool experience to rock some looks from these amazing designers, and have Rakuten back it up by creating a marketplace where people can go and buy the looks and support these brands that are at a high level." 

This is a conversation Curry also had with Paul Richards, one of the designers he is working alongside in this partnership. Richards is the creator of Pierre Blanc, a New York based Luxury brand, and he spoke with Inside the Warriors on his connection with Curry and what the star's support means to him.

"[Steph] showed me photos of him when he was younger and what he would wear, and we were just laughing about it," Richards said.

While the two were able to look back and laugh at what Curry thought was a good outfit, they also connected over a shared vision to elevate Black creators in a space where they're often overlooked and even stolen from. This was something Curry specifically emphasized, and it's something Richards appreciates from a star of his magnitude.

"I know there's so much talent out there, but not as much opportunity," Curry said on the importance of elevating Black designers. "In fashion, I think there's been a culture of biting culture. Major designer brands aggressively stealing designs from designers they're seeing that aren't getting the right shine. They're reaping the benefits and rewards of their vision, because Black fashion is culture, and it's always setting the trend. So I want to not only show the gear and the product and the lines and the brands that these designers have created, but also tell their stories which will inspire the next generation of young kids who want to be in the space as well. You can only be what you see and what you're exposed to, so all of that matters in terms of helping tell these very talented designers' stories to the masses."

"To have like a superstar like Steph support us, it's just an honor," Richards said. "Steph is a great role model on and off the court, and he has a huge influence across the globe. To use his platform to shed light on Black creatives, it definitely means a lot. It's an honor to have this partnership."

While Curry can relate to the underrated mindset these up-and-coming creators have, the Warriors star believes their path is even more difficult than the one he took to becoming an all-time great.

"I would say it's even harder than what I did, because I at least had a dad that played in the league," Curry said. "I didn't look the part, and everything you know about the underrated mindset, but these kids, these young professionals are creating a lane that is new. Just in their entire ethos and the boldness and the courage you have to have to do that is insane. To run your own race and be in a position where you're putting all the eggs in one basket in terms of who you are and how that's reflected in their designs. It's wild to think about the pressure and sense of urgency they feel."

Having used his platform in so many different ways, and to impact so many different people, Curry has built a legacy off the court that rivals even his greatest accomplishments on the court. While this is important to him, Curry always emphasizes impact over legacy, which is something that makes this partnership so special.

"Me and my wife, we talk all the time about impact over legacy," Curry said. "I know it's a subtle difference, but it's the energy that we put into everything that we do. We know we're blessed, we know that we've worked hard for what we have, but the blessing that comes from the platform and our ability to be able to change one person's life, that's what it's all about. That's the meaningful thing that makes you look back and feel like it all mattered or meant something."

"And so from our foundation, to brands that we work with like Rakuten being able to understand who we are, and finding those connectivities on creating lasting, meaningful impact, all that stuff is the stuff that's the most rewarding," Curry added. "The stuff that when the basketball is done, whenever that it is, we'll still be talking about the success story because of the designers we're talking about through this program, or any success stories that come out of creating opportunity and representation in the fields that for us are meaningful and that matter."