In both men’s and women’s sports, WAG culture has a policy of not simply wearing their partner’s jersey, meaning WAGs have to get creative when choosing what to wear to games. “As the sport grows, I think it’s good to have other outlets to get creative,” says Alexis Robinson, founder and owner of custom denim brand Boujee Basics. Robinson has also outfitted Chelsea Gray’s wife, Tipesa, and Kiara Marsh, husband of Las Vegas Aces head coach Tyler Marsh, in custom jackets.
Morgan Medlock is a chef and has been dating his girlfriend, Brittney “Slim” Sykes, of the Washington Mystics, for about a year. “We always sit courtside at home games, so there’s always pictures being taken and cameras everywhere, so it creates this feeling of having to be ‘on’ all the time,” Medlock says. Sykes is often seen kissing Medlock on the way out of the locker room after halftime, making their relationship public and drawing even more attention to Medlock.
Medlock is excited to surprise Sykes at games, but shares his color palette with him in advance so the two can coordinate. Sykes now makes sure to have the Mystics’ team photographer take a photo of what Medlock is wearing on game day. Medlock adds that his outfit depends on whether the game is at home or away: “When we’re away, I often wear streetwear or relaxed clothes, but when we’re at home, I feel like I can be my most glamorous self.”
For a recent Mystics vs. Chicago Sky game, Medlock was dressed in all pink, accessorizing with a rainbow pastel trench coat by AKIRA and a matching pink basketball bag by Andrea Bergamot. For the game against the Indiana Fever, she wanted to go for an edgier style, opting for a NASCAR-inspired leather look. After seeing Ronay’s outfit, Medlock also had Kenz make something custom. “Instead of a loud jersey, I’m going to order three Slim jerseys in different colors and have them made into a pink sequin jersey dress,” she says.
The WNBA isn’t the only sport where partners show up in custom outfits to support their significant other: After seeing a jacket Benjamin Weiner made for Boston Bruins player Brad Marchand, Steph Klein, the wife and equipment manager of U.S. women’s ice hockey player Alex Carpenter, reached out to see if he could make something for Carpenter to wear to the 2024 Women’s World Championship in Utica, New York. Weiner, founder and designer of Genius Jackets, worked with Klein to design a puffer vest made from one of Carpenter’s national team jerseys.