#Fashion EST: Bianca Belair dreams of bringing WWE style to fashion week
WWE Superstar Bianca Bel Air has created a fascinating case in the high fashion world of professional wrestling, revealing ambitious plans to showcase WWE-inspired designs on the famous runway, questioning why WWE Superstars are not invited to events like the Met Gala.
“I want to somehow manage to get the fashions of the WWE and gear and entrance, somehow put the outfits inspired by them on the runway and show you how much fashion there is in WWE,” Bella shared in an obvious interview with Stephanie McMahon on her podcast, “Stefanie’s Place.”
Self-taught fashion star
The self-proclaimed “EST of WWE” – meaning that she is the strongest, fastest, toughest competitor – may soon add “the most fashionable” to her top-notch list. Creating all her own in-ring gear without formal training, Bella sees the entrance to WrestleMania as a fashion show worthy of recognition from the wider fashion industry.
“When you think about WrestleMania, is that so? And when you walk through the pieces of everyone’s entrance and that ramp, it’s a fashion show,” explained Belair, highlighting the visual sight that has become synonymous with WWE’s biggest annual event.
What is particularly noteworthy about Belair’s fashion ambitions is that she is completely self-taught.
“I have never taken a sewing class. Everything I have learned, I have learned from the internet, YouTube, or just trial and error,” she revealed. This DIY approach has been at the heart of her WWE character and personal brand.
From childhood passions to WWE identity
The WWE Champion’s passion for fashion dates back to her childhood when she finds needles and threads in her family’s cookie cans and repairs her young 6-year-old shoes. This early interest evolved through high school, where she designed matching outfits for the track team and created jersey dresses “before.”
When Belair moved to CrossFit competitions, after years of intense athletic training, she embraced fashion as a way to express herself and enjoy herself.
“I started going out to ivy and flowers,” she recalls, pointing to the way her unique style attracted people’s attention. “They said, I’m coming to see what Bianca is trying to wear.”
This talent for fashion helped Belair eventually be discovered by WWE Hall of Fame Mark Henry.
“You’re basically wearing wrestling gear. I was wearing the entrance piece,” Bella said.
Family events
Now, as one of WWE’s top stars, Belair’s creation process often becomes a family affair. For her recent Wrestlemania Gear, she enlisted her parents and husband (female WWE superstar Montez Ford) into the “assembly line” of gear creation.
“My mom is reaching out to my dad. He’s covered in glitter. They’re giving it to me, I glue it hot and my husband will help me,” she explained.
Fashion Forward: WWE meets high fashion
As for the future, Bel Air’s ambitions can enhance WWE’s cultural status while also creating new opportunities for wrestlers to be considered fashion influencers. When asked about one of the most prestigious events in fashion, the Met Gala, Bel Air expressed enthusiasm despite admitting it was tense. “Why aren’t our superstars at the Met Gala?” McMahon’s pose during the interview highlights the potential for an undeveloped crossover opportunity.
Belair has already demonstrated her high fashion abilities, creating her own red carpet gown when she and Sasha Banks won the ESPY Award.
“I want to do something with fashion, wrestling and mixing. I’m thinking about Fashion Week in New York,” Bel Air said, clarifying his vision that can bring fresh creativity to both industries.
Bridge the two worlds
As Bel Air continues to push boundaries in her ring, her ambitions represent an important opportunity for both the WWE and the fashion world to create mutually beneficial cultural crossovers that acknowledge the often overlooked visual artistry and theatrical fashion sensibilities of professional wrestling.
For performers who once told their mothers as a child that all she wanted was “people throw roses at my feet,” Bella’s fashion dream represents yet another pathway for multi-talented athletes to express themselves while enhancing WWE’s presence in mainstream culture.
