Naomi Osaka’s Australian Open got an interesting addition in the form of her fashionable entrance. She walked into the Rod Laver Arena wearing a jellyfish-themed outfit to face Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic in the first-round match. The 28-year-old tennis player made her entrance into the arena wearing a pleated miniskirt layered on top of wide-leg trousers, accompanied by a wide-brimmed hat, a white veiled face and a parasol.
Even the tennis gear was inspired by the jellyfish. Naomi’s tennis apparel had soft frills resembling tentacles. The colours included watery turquoise, green, thus symbolising the underwater environment associated with jellyfish. Another angle associated with the idea was the speed of the creature. Naomi Osaka’s 125 mph tennis serve was said to have the sting of a jellyfish, whose sting moves 10 to 20 micrometres within one-millionth of a second.
Naomi said the idea came while she was reading a storybook to her two-year-old daughter, Shai. She said finding beauty in unexpected places, including in the water world, and collaborating with artists who focused on meaning had shaped her vision about this form of expression. The outfit was designed through a collaboration between Nike, Naomi Osaka, her long-time collaborator Marty Harper, and London-based couturier Robert Wun. Robert had previously designed for several artists like Beyoncé, Cardi B and Ariana Grande.
This tournament concluded with Naomi claiming the title. She has also mentioned that during the design process, Robert had a idea of using the inspiration from two exoskeletal animals. Finally, the design incorporated the inspiration from the jellyfish and the butterfly. Robert, an avid tennis lover, had taken inspiration from Naomi herself for one of the designs in his fall 2024 collection.
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