EleVen – Sportswear Line by Venus Williams

EleVen by Venus Williams marks the third collection for women to debut exclusively at Steve and Barry’s in 2007. The collection hit shelves in November, with a primary audience of athletic women. Items from the line were modeled by Venus herself during the U.S. Open in August 2007, so those who liked the line had quite a bit of time to wait before they could purchase it for themselves.

The collection follows Steve and Barry’s philosophy of high fashion at low cost, with no piece in the line costing more than $19.98. Venus designed the line herself out of a desire to truly reflect her own style. Every piece in the line, Venus had her hands in. According to this source, Venus received her degree in Fashion Design on December 13th, 2007 from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale.

The name EleVen was chosen for the line because Venus’s manifesto states: “Be # 1. Feel Like an 11.” Other sources state the name was derived from the address of her childhood home. The concept behind it is all about looking your best and feeling better than the best. “Be Yourself. Feel Fabulous. Be Fearless. Feel Confident. Be Triumphant. Feel Feminine. Be Casual. Feel Sexy. Be Chic. Feel Powerful.” This philosophy was the motivation for the design and release of the athletic line, which has been made to meet quality of the higher cost brands, while providing it at a more economical expense.

The collection includes 120 pieces of sportswear, and the “V-Court” sneakers that Williams wore during the U.S. Open competition. The sneaker retails for $14.98.

To take a look at what the line offers, check out the website: http://elevenbyvenus.com. It does not offer the vast variety of looks to preview as the other exclusively Steve and Barry’s collections do, but it shows what the collection is all about. It appears as though the site is poorly updated, as it still reads the line to be in pre-launch stages, when the line has been available for purchase for nearly two months now. There is a video section, a photo gallery, and a section about Venus that details personal biographical information on the Tennis star.

Not much more information is available on the line, and the Steve and Barry’s website offers much less information on this line than the others they have launched.

Though I’m not very athletic and have little to no interest in the line, I have seen it at my local Steve and Barry’s store while shopping in the BITTEN and dear By Amanda lines. For the athletic woman, it is really a great fashion line.