In between raising two daughters, running a venture capital company, and owning a Canadian women's basketball team, Serena Williams has somehow found the time for another exciting project: designing a children's clothing line in collaboration with Janie and Jack. Now, the limited-edition collection—which features breezy apparel, beach-ready swimwear, and adorable accessories for kids up to 12 years old—is finally out in the world just in time for all those spring and summer adventures you have coming up.
Naturally, much of the inspiration for the colorful drop came from the tennis legend's young family. The collection includes two coordinated mommy-and-me ensembles, along with a reimagined take on Serena’s iconic childhood tennis looks. Her daughters Olympia and Adira even posed alongside Williams in their first-ever campaign together.
"I've always shopped at Janie and Jack since Olympia was a baby," Williams tells Marie Claire. "And I think they saw that whenever I posted pictures, Olympia had a lot of Janie and Jack on. I'm not a children's clothing designer. I've always done women's and ready-to-wear and activewear. So I definitely leaned on the team when it came to design, but was able to provide inspirations such as colors and patterns."
Of course, Williams is no rookie when it comes to dreaming up fabulous clothes. In the midst of her tennis career, Williams studied fashion design for three years in the early aughts. She later launched a clothing line, S by Serena, as well as an eponymous jewelry line. She's also worked diligently to highlight emerging designers through her womenswear partnership and apprenticeship program with Nike. That said, even with decades of experience under her belt, designing for children was "more of a learning moment" for Williams.
"Their needs are different just in terms of the neck lines and in terms of the clothes being wearable and usable and functional," she says.
The other challenge, of course, is that children have creative minds and opinions of their own. Olympia is only seven years old, but Williams says she's been dressing herself since she was one.
"She's a girly girl," the 43-year-old quips. "She has a very eclectic type of style. She's very innovative, and I love it. I love seeing that she doesn't follow the curve."
Luckily, mother and daughter agree when it comes to the color pink—Williams's favorite—and one of the collection's best ensembles.
"We call it the GOAT skirt and top," Williams says. "It's really meaningful to me. It was inspired by an outfit I wore as little girl, and it definitely speaks to Olympia because she's really into two-pieces now. She's seven and she's been dressing herself for six years—I'm not kidding. She's very opinionated and always has been on what she wears. So that piece really speaks to her. And I think she likes it because when I show her pictures of me, she's like, 'Oh, I want to be like you.'"
For now, matching outfits are mostly reserved for special occasions and travel. In her everyday life as a working mother, Williams prefers to keep it simple.
"When it comes to dressing as a family, I always want my girls to feel safe and comfortable, and I always want them to look safe and comfortable," she says.
The collection is filled with pieces that are absolutely begging to worn on a warm weather vacation, but they're equally suited to school and weekend errand-running.
"It's really just about being happy and going to a happy place," Williams concludes. "It doesn't necessarily have to be a physical place. You don't need to physically go anywhere. 'Look good, feel good' plays a big role. And when you have that, you can just kind of imagine that you're somewhere else and have that experience through your clothing."
Shop the full Serena Williams x Janie and Jack collection here.
