The NBA All-Star and serial entrepreneur joined forces with Rakuten to tap emerging BIFC designers to create looks for his tunnel walks and amplify their business endeavors.

Since the 1990s, NBA players have shown off their fashion sense via their “tunnel walks,” the hallway between the locker room and main court. Legends like Dennis Rodman and Michael Jordan sparked conversation and trends with their pre and post-game looks. More than 30 years later, tunnel walks are still a staple in sports culture, but it’s expanded beyond the bleachers—it’s turned into a big business.

For instance, the Instagram account @leaguefits, which exclusively showcases NBA players’ tunnel looks, has commanded more than 1m followers with some posts even garnering high-profile brand collaboration opportunity, ultimately raking in the big bucks.

It’s a huge visibility moment not only for NBA players, but designers as well. Stephen Curry understands this better than anybody.

The NBA all-star has partnered with the Black in Fashion Council (BIFC), the foremost organization purposed in helping Black design businesses grow and scale, and cash back and rewards shopping platform Rakuten to help up-and-coming designers gain high exposure for their work.

“I understand the opportunity that I have to leverage every platform I’ve been blessed with and the amount of eyeballs and spotlight that I have, whether it’s on the court, in the community, and even expanding into the tunnel walk, which is a very highlighted moment in the NBA—marquee games, pretty much every game, there’s cameras all over the place,” Curry explains to ESSENCE. “A partnership like this just makes sense.”

Throughout the 2024 NBA season, Stephen and Rakuten have been spotlighting Black designers in the BIFC network including Savant Studios, Head of State, Advisry, Des Pierrot, and Pierre Blanc via Stephen’s tunnel walks ahead of Golden State Warriors games. The looks can be shopped here.

“I’ve had such a great experience collaborating with Stephen Curry and Rakuten on Stephen’s Head of State look,” Head of State designer, Taofeek Abijako shared with ESSENCE in a statement. “This kind of exposure is invaluable – to reach so many people in one moment; so many new customers. I love that Rakuten makes it more accessible for people to discover and shop Head of State – on the heels of such a massive endorsement from the likes of Stephen, by giving them the where to buy and the incentive of Rakuten Cash Back.”

As WWD points out, access to capital is tantamount to survival more than other businesses since initial overhead is higher; testing costs, product development and design, procuring materials and samples, managing inventory and spending on digital marketing is all critical at the onset of most fashion businesses.

“Working with these amazing designers, the Black In Fashion Council, and being in a position where I get to rock some really cool designs from some amazingly talented designers and brands that deserve the attention and the awareness and the eyeballs is really fulfilling,” Curry tells ESSENCE. “I’m rocking the clothes into the arenas and having that moment, and then there a call-to-action afterwards and where you can find their looks, their brands right after and having that follow-up. I’m hoping that the conversation starts around the design language of the looks, an interest in getting to know these designers, and also them wanting to rock the looks themselves. To support these Black designers because it’s not easy doing this. They deserve to be seen.”