From stacked leggings to statement fits, Shakira Austin is designing a future as bold and versatile as her game.
For Austin, style starts with feeling. Some days she leans feminine and fitted. Other days she reaches for oversized silhouettes and menswear inspired pieces. “It really just depends on what my vibe is,” she says. “I like to build around one piece and go from there.”
She first discovered Ksubi two years ago after being gifted a two-piece vest set that instantly fit her aesthetic. “It was so cute. Very demure,” she says. “It’s a quiet outfit, but they make it pop. They make it unique.”
That balance between subtle and bold mirrors how she approaches creativity everywhere else in her life.
“I like to show a little bit of creativity on the court as well,” she explains. “But at the end of the day, you have to keep it simple sometimes. With fashion, you’re able to really just go on your own roller coaster with it. You can go super high, crazy pieces, very loud statement, or you can go calm and neutral and still be popping.”
Basketball demands structure. Fashion gives her range.
Her love for design began with something practical. As a tall girl, finding pieces that truly fit her frame was not always easy. Pants were too short. Silhouettes felt dated. So she decided to change that.
Shakira Austin’s offseason had her balancing basketball with a little sunshine and a lot of style. On an off day, she made a stop in the Design District at Ksubi, and within minutes, she’s in her element. She flips through racks with quick confidence, pulling pieces without hesitation. “Oh yeah,” she says softly to herself, already picturing the fit. A cropped vest makes the cut. Then oversized jeans. Then a tee she knows could anchor the whole look.
This is not just browsing. It is creative direction in real time.
“Versatile. Baddie,” she says when asked to describe her personal style. Then she laughs and doubles down. “Okay, very baddie.”
One of the first items she ever created a few years ago was a pair of stacked leggings with extra length to achieve the streetwear look she wanted but could not find in stores. Teammates started asking for their own pairs. Soon, she was experimenting with two-piece sets and sketching bigger ideas.
“My favorite part is customizing what’s in my brain,” she says. “Getting inspiration and figuring out how I want to bring that vision to life.”
Long term, she sees herself leading the creative direction for her fashion brand while building a team to help execute the details. The vision is clear: a brand centered on tall girls. Pieces that fit. Pieces that feel current. Pieces that celebrate standing out instead of shrinking down.
That desire is deeply personal. Basketball is where Austin first found her confidence in being tall and different. It taught her to stand upright, to embrace attention instead of avoiding it.
“I used to feel like I needed to hunch over and be a little bit shorter,” she says. “Now I wear my heels. I’ll be a couple of extra inches. God made me special. He made me unique and I gotta own it.”
“As Black women, we’re still trying to fight for our uniqueness and our identity,” she says. Still, she believes the landscape is shifting. Athletes are being given more space to express themselves through fashion, personality, and individuality, and she intends to use that space fully.
Thinking beyond the game feels natural to her. Women’s basketball players have always understood that the journey does not end at the final buzzer. For Austin, fashion is not a distraction from basketball but an extension of her ambition and creativity.
“I’m really excited for the journey after basketball,” she says. “It’s about opening doors, continuing to open doors for yourself, and really putting yourself in rooms that you never imagined you’d be in.”
Inside Ksubi, Austin is doing more than trying on clothes. She is tailoring confidence. Designing a future that stretches well beyond the court and into rooms she is ready to walk into, fully herself.
“As Black women, we’re still trying to fight for our uniqueness and our identity,” she says. Still, she believes the landscape is shifting. Athletes are being given more space to express themselves through fashion, personality, and individuality, and she intends to use that space fully.
Thinking beyond the game feels natural to her. Women’s basketball players have always understood that the journey does not end at the final buzzer. For Austin, fashion is not a distraction from basketball but an extension of her ambition and creativity.
“I’m really excited for the journey after basketball,” she says. “It’s about opening doors, continuing to open doors for yourself, and really putting yourself in rooms that you never imagined you’d be in.”
Inside Ksubi, Austin is doing more than trying on clothes. She is tailoring confidence. Designing a future that stretches well beyond the court and into rooms she is ready to walk into, fully herself.
One of the first items she ever created a few years ago was a pair of stacked leggings with extra length to achieve the streetwear look she wanted but could not find in stores. Teammates started asking for their own pairs. Soon, she was experimenting with two-piece sets and sketching bigger ideas.
“My favorite part is customizing what’s in my brain,” she says. “Getting inspiration and figuring out how I want to bring that vision to life.”
Long term, she sees herself leading the creative direction for her fashion brand while building a team to help execute the details. The vision is clear: a brand centered on tall girls. Pieces that fit. Pieces that feel current. Pieces that celebrate standing out instead of shrinking down.
That desire is deeply personal. Basketball is where Austin first found her confidence in being tall and different. It taught her to stand upright, to embrace attention instead of avoiding it.
“I used to feel like I needed to hunch over and be a little bit shorter,” she says. “Now I wear my heels. I’ll be a couple of extra inches. God made me special. He made me unique and I gotta own it.”
Shakira Austin’s offseason had her balancing basketball with a little sunshine and a lot of style. On an off day, she made a stop in the Design District at Ksubi, and within minutes, she’s in her element. She flips through racks with quick confidence, pulling pieces without hesitation. “Oh yeah,” she says softly to herself, already picturing the fit. A cropped vest makes the cut. Then oversized jeans. Then a tee she knows could anchor the whole look.
This is not just browsing. It is creative direction in real time.
“Versatile. Baddie,” she says when asked to describe her personal style. Then she laughs and doubles down. “Okay, very baddie.”
For Austin, style starts with feeling. Some days she leans feminine and fitted. Other days she reaches for oversized silhouettes and menswear inspired pieces. “It really just depends on what my vibe is,” she says. “I like to build around one piece and go from there.”
She first discovered Ksubi two years ago after being gifted a two-piece vest set that instantly fit her aesthetic. “It was so cute. Very demure,” she says. “It’s a quiet outfit, but they make it pop. They make it unique.”
That balance between subtle and bold mirrors how she approaches creativity everywhere else in her life.
“I like to show a little bit of creativity on the court as well,” she explains. “But at the end of the day, you have to keep it simple sometimes. With fashion, you’re able to really just go on your own roller coaster with it. You can go super high, crazy pieces, very loud statement, or you can go calm and neutral and still be popping.”
Basketball demands structure. Fashion gives her range.
Her love for design began with something practical. As a tall girl, finding pieces that truly fit her frame was not always easy. Pants were too short. Silhouettes felt dated. So she decided to change that.