For the first time, the iconic athlete opens up about her new brand, WYN Beauty.
Evolution is a nonnegotiable part of the human experience.
“I love sports and being active.
Leaving something I was still good at to be a mom was such a difficult decision.
But I wanted another kid, so I had to do that.
Now it’s about finding balance and doing other things I’ve always loved.”
Kendall Bessent. Tank top: Ermanno Scervino, Skirt: For Love & Lemons, Knit Sweater: Bottega Veneta, Utility coat and hat: Nike.
Outside of tennis, Williams has always harbored a passion for beauty.
“Showing up [like that] was great for me,” Williams says.
“Tennis is different than other sports.
Kendall Bessent. Tank top: Ermanno Scervino, Skirt: For Love & Lemons, Knit Sweater: Bottega Veneta, Utility coat, hat and sneakers: Nike, Watch: Audemars Piguet.
Sprinters and gymnasts, for example, can wear a full face of makeup.
With tennis, you could play for three hours and have sweat pouring down your face.
So I had to find little ways to enhance my features.
It started with the beadsthat was a way to express myself.
From there, I leaned into eyeliner and lipstick.”
Williams' decades of experimentation with makeup paved the way for her newest venture, WYN Beauty.
Kendall Bessent. Tank top: Ermanno Scervino, Skirt: For Love & Lemons, Knit Sweater: Bottega Veneta, Utility coat, hat and sneakers: Nike.
“Those moments are the foundation of the brand,” Williams shares.
“After playing on center court in front of millions of people, I’d have to do press.
There was a point where I was talking to the press every single day.
Kendall Bessent. Full look: Joy Cioci, Boots: Burberry, Gloves: Stylist’s own, Earrings: Saint Laurent, Watch: Audemars Piguet.
“It all started with the skin tint,” she shares.
I realized that if I’m having this problem, other people are as well.
From there, I started thinking about how I could create functional and really cool products.”
Williams has been working on making her thoughts a reality for five and a half years.
She tapped Chidinma Asonye to serve as the chief brand officer and Christina Ximenez as head of product development.
Asonye is a seasoned executive who oversees all of Williams' portfolio brands.
Kendall Bessent. Full look: Joy Cioci, Boots: Burberry, Gloves: Stylist’s own, Earrings: Saint Laurent.
Together, they worked to carefully craft WYN Beauty’s brand DNA and curate the 10-piece launch collection.
Every product is emblazoned with an encouraging shade name too.
WYN Beauty’s offerings are vegan, cruelty-free, and dermatologically testedsomething Williams was a stickler about.
Kendall Bessent. Full look: Joy Cioci, Boots: Burberry, Gloves: Stylist’s own, Watch: Audemars Piguet.
“I wanted to focus on long-wearing, ‘clean’ formulas because that’s how I live my life.
Crafting products that can keep up with beauty consumers' busy lives was of paramount importance to Williams.
A little goes a long way with what we’ve created with WYN Beauty.
Kendall Bessent. Kendall Bessent. Oversized knit: Stella McCartney, Earrings: Saint Laurent, Flower Handbag: Margiela, Boots: Nike, Socks: Stylist’s own.
WYN Beauty wants you to understand it’s possible for you to be glamorous and activeand own it.”
“Creating the mascara was also hard because I wasn’t going to let the quality slide.
I wanted to make a mascara that coats and covers each eyelash to give you that lengthened look.
Kendall Bessent. Oversized knit: Stella McCartney, Earrings: Saint Laurent, Flower Handbag: Margiela.
I’m really happy with how those two products turned out.”
“When I was traveling 20 years ago, brands didn’t offer 40 shades.
Many products weren’t made for Black skin.
Kendall Bessent. Kendall Bessent. Oversized knit: Stella McCartney, Earrings: Saint Laurent, Flower Handbag: Margiela, Boots: Nike, Socks: Stylist’s own.
We had brands like Iman Cosmetics and Black Opal, but they weren’t always available where I was.
I had to learn to do my makeup so I could present myself in the best way.”
“I never wanted to fit into a box,” she says.
Kendall Bessent. Full look: Joy Cioci, Boots: Burberry, Gloves: Stylist’s own.
“I don’t look like anyone else and never will.
I was one of the first athletes [in tennis] that had a differently shaped body.
Its research also found that the segment of consumers purchasing celebrity beauty brands grew 21.9% compared to 2022.
Williams is adamant WYN Beauty has more to offer beauty buyers than just her name.
“It’s not about [the celebrity title] for me,” she says.
“This brand is for everyoneit doesn’t matter who you are.
We’ve drawn from my experiences and everyday life to reach everyone and fit their needs.”
“It’s about more than just products,” she says.
She still vividly remembers her first encounters with makeup.
“My earliest beauty memory has to do with my mom,” she recalls.
“She wore red lipstick back then and still does now.
I remember playing in her makeup as a kid.”
Now that she is a mother, those moments have come full circle with her daughters.
“Motherhood has allowed me to look at beauty through the eyes of my daughter, Olympia.
Williams' motherhood journey has also shaped the philanthropic initiatives she wants to launch through WYN Beauty.
Williams has always possessed a benevolent spirit.
When she’s riled up about a cause, she’ll do anything she can to make a difference.
Oversized knit: Stella McCartney, Earrings: Saint Laurent, Flower Handbag: Margiela.
Serena Ventures has invested in a wide range of companies across industries.”
According to Serena Ventures' website, the organization has invested in 77 companies so far.
For so long, Williams herself was consideredthebrand.
Williams' career has been a master class in doing that (and then some).
“WYN Beauty is an extremely personal undertaking.
So Williams simply opts not to think about it.
“My kids,” she says.
Full look: Joy Cioci, Boots: Burberry, Gloves: Stylist’s own.
Every day, she strives to look like a hero in Olympia and Adira’s young eyes.
“You don’t have to bethebest as long as you doyourbest.
But Williams wouldn’t trade her new reality for the world.
And she deserves every bit of it.
For Serena Williams, this is exactly what evolution looks like.
(n.d.).NIQ.
Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://www.usta.com/en/home/stay-current/national/growths-in-ethnic-diversity-behind-latest-surge-in-tennis-partic.html
Celebrity beauty brands: Key success drivers in 2023.
(n.d.).NIQ.
Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://nielseniq.com/global/en/insights/commentary/2023/celebrity-beauty-brands-key-success-drivers-in-2023/
