Amar'e Stoudemire Teams Up With Rachel Roy

It was only a matter of time before New York Knick Amar'e Stoudemire got a chance to try his hand at designing. After all, the fashion world has been falling in love with him for sometime: He’s graced the prestigious front row at Tommy Hilfiger’s runway shows for the past two seasons, has been invited by Anna Wintour herself to the Fashion’s Night Out runway show in September, appearing chummy with the iconic editor in pictures at the event, and even landed a spot in fashion’s Bible with a feature in Vogue’s April 2011 issue.

Now Rachel Roy has tapped the six-foot-10 basketball stunner to help her create a fall collection for her secondary line, Rachel Rachel Roy. The new designing duo was pictured exiting Harry Winston boutique in New York yesterday—perhaps they were already getting started on their new project?  

Admittedly, Roy knew very little about the baller before they linked up in November at a brief meeting to discuss collaboration, but she told WWD that she was “was completely and utterly impressed with his work ethic, by how much he encourages his teammates and how much of a team player he is.” The notable designer was sold after the initial meetings with Stoudemire: “We both decided we had a similar point of view and wanted to work together.”

Stoudemire has previously designed basketball shoes for Nike and says his passion for fashion dates back to his childhood days growing up in Florida. “As long as I remember, I always did something with my clothes,” he said. “I would slice up the bottom of my jeans so that they would look different. I would change the design of my shirt and add an extra layer. I would wear two different tennis shoes.”

It remains to be seen how this NBA player’s affinity for style and “mixing things up” will translate to Roy’s feminine, contemporary pieces, but this is definitely an interesting match. As Stoudemire told WWD, "I pretty much let her drive the car and I am just being the maintenance man."

The line will retail between $45 and $250 when it hits Macy's racks in September.

(Photo: Albert L.Ortega/PictureGroup)