Lifestyle and apparel brand GSTQ has named WNBA star Kelsey Plum of the Las Vegas Aces as its newest brand ambassador.
The 27-year-old, who was named the All-Star Most Valuable Player at the WNBA All-Star Game in Chicago on July 10, has raised her profile not only as an accomplished player on the court, but also as an up-and-coming star before games into the tunnel, potentially breaking new ground for brands looking to connect with female athletes.
GSTQ founder Dany Garcia, also an athlete, was in the tunnel looking for the brand’s newest ambassador, joining its first ambassador, Robin Arzon. Garcia said she plans to develop a long-term relationship with Plum.
“He has an appetite for more and we want to be a part of that journey,” Garcia said. “She is an amazing leader, ambitious and inspiring. She embodies the spirit of GSTQ in her mindset, her performance, who she is as a character and not being defined by limitations.”
Plum was the No. 1 pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft by the San Antonio Stars (the team moved to Las Vegas to become the Las Vegas Aces) just months after becoming the NCAA’s all-time women’s scoring leader Division I basketball and broke the NCAA record for points in a season with 1,080 at the University of Washington.
Plum also has awards including the Naismith College Player of the Year and the John R. Wooden Award, both in 2017, is a two-time Turkish Super League champion in 2018 and 2019, was named the WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year in 2021 and earned a gold medal at the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020 in the women’s 3×3 tournament.
“If you’re looking for someone to emulate and be like, Dany Garcia is a badass woman,” Plum said. “She’s done so much in her career and I feel her approach to business and life is something I love and someone I want to be like today.”
Plum is currently having a breakout season along with A’Ja Wilson and Chelsea Gray, and also set the record for most points in a WNBA All-Star Game this month. Plum believes paying attention to her style helps her game.
“I’ve never believed in the saying when you look good you feel good and when you feel good you play good but I changed my mind,” Plum said. “When I step into the tunnel, I feel sexy and empowered and I carry that over onto the pitch.
“GSTQ makes me feel sexy and wild,” she added. “I appreciate the ambition they have and I think our values are aligned, and I’m excited to be working with the brand.”
In 2021, Garcia introduced GSTQ, which offers tailored pieces with flexibility and movement, such as belted long jackets, hooded jackets, dresses and jumpsuits, among others. She said she had been envisioning a clothing brand for decades, but only started working on it three years before the launch. It also tapped Faith Lucas as creative director, who has previously designed or consulted for Gap, Tommy Hilfiger, J.C. Penney and Xcel.
The brand has opened two pop-up stores in New York and Atlanta, which Garcia said she is “very happy with,” adding that more pop-ups are in the works, including in Los Angeles.
She was drawn to Plum as an ambassador because of how attractive female athletes are, and she is self-aware of being an athlete herself. Long before co-founding Seven Bucks Productions with business partner and ex-husband Dwayne Johnson, founding The Garcia Cos. and TGC Management, owners of the XFL and producing movies like “Hobbs and Shaw” and “Jungle Cruise” and TV shows like “Ballers” and “Young Rock,” Garcia was a professional bodybuilder, her past life and experience with and the garments helped inform GSTQ when it came to fit and construction.
“Women’s sneakers are just starting to catch on,” Garcia said. “We did a show called ‘The Titan Games’ and the female athletes were so compelling because first they hit a physical wall, then they hit emotional walls and obstacles, and when you see them playing sports, you see that. I feel that female athletes are gaining an understanding that they can be much more in competition and off the field.”
Garcia is also passionate about the WNBA. The league has received more attention over the years due to a number of factors, such as the respect female athletes enjoy in other sports such as tennis, soccer, and gymnastics, as well as the growing fashion profile of the league, a holdover from the NBA. While the men’s league has evolved the tunnel into a fashion showcase, the WNBA mirrors that with its own tunnel, showcasing stars like Candace Parker, Sue Bird and now Kelsey Plum.
The WNBA has also seen higher ratings over the years and the final game saw the highest All-Star Game ratings since 2015.
“It’s a new runway,” Garcia said. “It’s the one that leads to the playing field or the field and has an impact.”
“I think the impact could be tremendous,” Plum said of the partnership. “When you have a brand like GSTQ for women and for women, it speaks to the direction we need to go. I think it will be the huge impact we need when people can get behind the clothes and the vision.”
What is the lowest paid WNBA player?
The WNBA minimum for a player with zero to two years of experience is $58,710, while veterans with three or more years of experience earn a minimum of $70,040. Yahoo! Finance reported that the average WNBA salary for the 2021 season was $120,648.
How tall is Caitlin Clark?
How much does Caitlin Clark make? Her net worth is estimated at $1-5 million. The guard tops the nation in scoring (27.5) and assists (8.3) — could be the first woman to lead both categories at the D-I level.
How good is Caitlin Clark?
Clark, who was named the 2020 Girls Athlete of the Year, led the nation with an average of 33.7 points per game as a senior. To see also : Video games with more body counts than Game of Thrones. As a junior, she set a Class 5A state record with 42 points in a wild triple-overtime win over Waukee.
How much money does Kelsey Plum make?
| actor (12) | pos. | Avg. Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Kelsey Plum | Mr | 141,083 dollars |
| Aja Wilson | C | $199,211 |
| Chelsea Gray | Mr | 196,267 dollars |
| Dear Hamby | F | $117,000 |
What team does Kelsey Plum play for? Kelsey Christine Plum (born August 24, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). At the 2020 Summer Olympics, she won the gold medal in women’s 3×3 basketball. To see also : The size of the global video game market is expected to reach $ 413 billion in 2028, increasing with a market growth of 11.8% CAGR during the forecast period.. Poway, California, United States of America
How good is Kelsey Plum?
With eight games played, Plum is off to a career-best start. She is averaging 18.1 points per game, sixth best in the WNBA. This may interest you : Neon White wouldn’t be “weird” without Machine Girl music. She is fourth in the WNBA in assists with 5.8 assists per game. She leads the WNBA in three-pointers while shooting 47 percent from beyond the arc.
Does Kelsey Plum play in the WNBA? Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum has thrived in her new role as a starter under coach Becky Hammon, one season after being named the WNBA’s sixth player of the year. Plum continued her dominant streak on Sunday, scoring 32 points on 52.6 percent shooting in 40 minutes on the court.
