Liatu King gives Notre Dame women’s basketball team a fashion makeover

Notre Dame transfer forward Liatu King has blended in seamlessly on the court for the No.3 ranked Fighting Irish.

When the university was recruiting King after she entered the transfer portal in March, she and coach Niele Ivey spoke extensively about fashion and the different styles King had posted on social media. Dressing to impress has been a staple for the Notre Dame women’s basketball team since Ivey’s predecessor, Muffet McGraw, led the program. Knowing her coaches and teammates shared a similar passion made the transition easier for King.

“At my previous school, fashion wasn’t a big thing,” King told Andscape. She spent four years at the University of Pittsburgh, where she was a 2024 first-team All-ACC selection. “I always was into fashion and just being able to be in a place where it’s welcomed and embraced, I think it allows me to be myself. Just being out there, putting on outfits and having people compliment me, there’s no better feeling.”

This season, Notre Dame has promoted its women’s basketball pregame looks. According to King, the emotions evoked by styling themselves are what the players want to project on the court.

“It makes me feel good [and] confident,” King said. “I’m excited for the game to come, but just for me, I think it starts with putting on a nice outfit. Especially when it comes to tunnel fits, if I feel good, I play good, and that’s just something that I keep in mind.

“Some teammates are not really into fashion, but because this is a school where it’s embraced and encouraged, I think some of them are getting out of their shell. They 1734015342 want to dress up for the tunnel fit. Like, why not? Everybody else is doing it. When people encourage those who may not be into it, [they] will want to try it. It’s a type of bonding. It’s a type of self-empowerment as well because clothes make you feel confident. [Confidence] puts you further in the world. It makes you want to be efficient in whatever you’re doing.”

The Washington, D.C. native’s love of style started when she was a kid. King was obsessed with hats and sneakers, which are staples in her hometown fashion scene. She remembers how she would wait in long lines for the latest pair of Jordan sneakers. Her love of sneakers gradually evolved into an interest in outfits that complement her favorite shoes. As a tall, slender woman, King learned how to find clothes that fit her 6-foot frame.

“Growing up it was hard to try to find pants that fit me lengthwise. They would fit my waist, but lengthwise they’d be shorter,” King said. “I think it’s very important to know your body type and know what you like. Everybody isn’t going to like the same thing. Everything isn’t going to fit everybody the same way. For me in particular, I like the flares because it adds to the illusion of actually making me look a little taller, actually.”

The growth of women’s basketball and off-the-court fashion has been impressive over the last few years, and fashion allowed King to craft her identity and help her teammates define theirs.

“Not too long ago, there wasn’t a lot of attention behind women’s basketball, now we’re at the point where we’re talking about the intersection of fashion with women’s basketball,” King said. “I get a lot of positive feedback on what I wear, but I’m at the point now where I’m just looking forward to helping other people curate their own style.”

When looking for items, she shops on sites such as SSENSE, Nordstrom, and Saks Fifth Avenue because they feature a variety of labels and sizes, which is perfect for her teammates. Her favorites include Issey Miyake, Who Decides War, and Rick Owens. King’s favorite brand to work with and style her teammates in is Y/Project because she likes the versatility of its pieces and how easy the clothing is to rework when styling people. Sometimes, higher-priced items are swapped for similar budget-friendly items from Aritzia, ASOS and Zara.

King enjoys the challenge of dressing her teammates, especially since they have different styles, shapes, and sizes. She collaborates with them to see what each teammate likes and which pieces complement them. They discuss social media influencers and celebrities whose styles they admire for inspiration.

“I get a lot of inspiration from just watching other [stylists] who’ve done it,” King said. “I like just looking at other creators on social media or even Pinterest, and I have friends who are also into fashion, so I collaborate with them. We just talk, and we bounce ideas off of each other.

“I don’t want to necessarily copy it, but I can pull from this, and I can use some of this as inspiration and make it into my own. That’s what I kind of do. I look at other people whose styles that I like, and I kind of pick from there.”

King attended New York Fashion Week in September, where she networked with stylists and designers. This experience gave her more clarity on what path she should pursue.

“It just showed me kind of where I want to be at on [the] styling side,” King said. “I don’t necessarily want to be a clothing designer, but actually styling the pieces. Like, ‘how can I put this together?’ I see myself saying, ‘OK. These two pieces go together. You can put a boot with this, add some accessories and stuff like that.’ So, it was just a super-dope experience. I was just in awe and manifesting.”

King brings the experience and connections from fashion week into the locker room for her teammates. Building relationships with her teammates and asking players which brands and items they’re comfortable wearing allows her to style them better.

“She’s like an inspiration. Her vision is kind of what I want my vision to be with outfits,” sophomore guard Emma Risch said. “So it’s just really cool to work beside her and have her help me at the same time. I know she’s going to lead me in the right direction and I’m going to look good. She can see my vision, I can see hers. I think it really comes together well.”

Like Risch, Fighting Irish point guard Hannah Hidalgo has also worked with King as her stylist. The first-team All-American is known for her signature hoop earrings, which she wears around campus during her pregame tunnel outfit and game-day warmups. However, working with her teammates to style fashion and outfits allows Hidalgo to showcase other sides of her personality.

“Especially when I put on girly outfits because I’m so aggressive on the court, I like to have that kind of different life off the court when I’m dressing up,” Hidalgo said. “I just look different. I’m able to kind of do both, be really aggressive on the court and still be girly, or [in] streetwear off the court with the hoops. So it definitely gives me a different side … I love that [Liatu] is bringing the fashion side to the team. I’m excited for what’s coming up.”

Coach Ivey and her former Notre Dame basketball teammate Julie Henderson remember McGraw not allowing her players to wear team-issued sweatsuits and having to dress up for away games. It was Ivey’s introduction to women’s fashion and pro basketball, and she gradually changed her fashion choices from inexpensive brands to more high-end pieces as she was promoted from associate head coach to head coach. Henderson, now a model, occasionally uses her expertise and connections to style Ivey for the season.

Ivey and Henderson have noticed that Timberland brand boots are a generational staple from their days playing at Notre Dame in the early 2000s to current players. They’ve also seen the return of their teenage fashion trends, such as tennis skirts and flare pants, on current Notre Dame players.

“Fashion has played [a big role for] my players,” Ivey said. “At least [for] collegiate players, because they want to be aligned with these brands. They want to be able to monetize their own brand, build a brand, and [are interested] in music, fashion and culture.

“I love for them to show their personality,” she said. “ I love for them to be able to utilize their [and] our social media platform in order for them to express themselves. They all look beautiful, and I love that they feel comfortable in their own skin.”

Henderson said that fashion also can positively affect the players.

“[We] talk about how the importance of [Niele] walking to the gym and being a Black woman, being a coach, being a leader, of these women, just the power of her walking into the gym in her own integrity, in her feeling good, in her body, feeling good in her power,” Henderson said. “Fashion to me is that it allows you to walk into the room as yourself feeling good.

“Niele and I actually prayed about it before, just the power of her entrance and how it can affect the stadium and affect the girls. Fashion is actually divine.”

The outfit Ivey wore for Notre Dame’s top-three victory over USC was King’s favorite outfit of the season, and she believes Ivey’s black outfit inspired her teammates to play well.

“Every time it’s like a surprise. Like ‘OK, what is she gonna wear?’ She definitely invokes confidence through her wardrobe,” King said. “She gives off boss lady with her fits, and I think that that trickles down. I always think of how it starts with the higher-up and it gives confidence to the team.”

King says she admires the fashion selections Ivey wears on the sideline and plans to style her coach for a few games later in the season. She has listed Notre Dame alumni Arike Ogunbowale and Skylar Diggins-Smith as pro players whose style she admires, and she appreciates the opportunity to continue the Notre Dame women’s fashion legacy.

“I think it’s cool just to even be a part of those names,” King said. “Skylar Diggins-Smith is somebody who I look for when I’m on Pinterest looking for inspiration because I feel like a lot of my teammates, their style emulates what she wears. So I look at the pieces that she’s worn. Arike, I know a lot of my teammates like her style as well, so just being somebody that’s a part [fashion at Notre Dame] is amazing.”

King said she admires stylists Law Roach and Courtney Mays for their work with current WNBA players and hopes to work with actress Zendaya and musician Teyana Taylor one day. Between school and games, King creates outfit grids highlighting complete outfits with accessories she and her teammates will wear on the sideline this season.

“Everybody is waiting to see a tunnel fit, and that’s exciting. Just having a conversation with my teammates and being able to see what they like, I think we’ll be able to create something good. I hope that we’re able to please the audience, but if not, it’s OK. At the end of the day, you’re comfortable with what you have on, that’s really all that matters.”