March is Women’s History Month, and given the challenges facing women in the boardroom and on the playing field, the major triumphs that have been achieved are extra special.
In the sports world, a young woman stands out as the definition of a superwoman for her athletic prowess and the financial gains associated with her name.
Sha’Carri Richardson has seen every facet of fame, from love to hate to cultural shame. Still, she has moved past the transgressions of her youth to electrify the track world once again. Ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics, she is now the face of a new luxury fashion collaboration with Jacquemus and Nike.
Sha’Carri Richardson Inks Nike Deal
For their Spring 2024 campaign, Nike and Jacquemus have enlisted track and field world champion, Olympic hopeful, Nike athlete, and one of the world’s most stylish and fastest women in Richardson. The announcement came on Feb. 26, the same day the collection went live online.
Sha’Carri’s recent video promoting Nike x Jaquemus collection, was described by Angie Jamie of Teen Vogue:
“Sha’Carri Richardson is slamming battle ropes on the floor. Her face is a steely mask, glaring forward, slamming harder each time as muscles ripple. Slow motion warped sounds of wooshing are the only audio. But these are not battle ropes, a closer look reveals that the ropes continue past her arms, over her shoulders and onto her neck. The ropes are braids, woven in astronomically long tendrils, in and amongst her own.”
Not only did Sha’Carri become the fastest woman in the world, get a track named after her at John Kincaide Stadium that she once ran on, but now that the campaign is in full effect, the rumors and unconfirmed reports of her signing a 5-year/$20million contract with Nike that would run through 2028 don’t seem farfetched for the track blazer as she sets for the Paris 2024 Olympics. She will roll into the event with her public appeal rating and pockets as swollen as they have ever been.
Richardson embodies the collection and serves as the muse for the campaign; not bad for the girl from Dallas who was treated like a track pariah just a few short years ago.
However, that is precisely why she was chosen, according to the press release: “as she also represents the dimensions and depth of an athlete who is constantly facing her fiercest and most consistent competition: one’s self.”
“Fashion is so personal and I definitely use it to express myself — it can show how you feel, your mood, your creativity. From the colors you wear to the risks you take, fashion can be an outlet to show the world a little bit of who you are,” said Richardson in a statement. “And that’s why I’m inspired by Simon’s collection; the pieces are edgy and elegant at the same time and it inspires me to keep showing up as I am, while hopefully inspiring others to do the same.”
The Spring 2024 Nike x Jacquemus collection features women’s and unisex apparel, a new J Force 1, and a first-ever accessory: a unique Le Swoosh bag — the first time the Nike Swoosh has been turned into a handbag.
“I was amazed by Sha’Carri’s performance in 2023 in Budapest when she became the world champion of the women’s 100m,” said designer Simon Porte Jacquemus in a statement. “I also loved how she kept her own style and was so fierce and unique when she was competing, regardless of the rules of dressing and uniforms. It’s so powerful to be your own self in the athletic world! I instantly wanted to collaborate with her.”
Richardson is a Nike-endorsed athlete and has graced the high-end fashion scene before presenting at the 2021 Met Gala. She was also featured in a Teen Vogue photo shoot in February 2022.
The 100 meters world champion is currently training for the Paris 2024 Olympics in Florida at the Star Athletics Track Club, where she has also found the time to mentor 18-year-old Jamaican sprint prospect Alana Reid.
Superwomen doing superwoman things.
