The “miracle Catch”, his impeccable speed, and sharp field vision — Stefon Diggs is a wizard on the football field. These are things we already know about the Minnesota Vikings wide receiver, who is already having a career year in receiving yards. Sometimes, athletes tend to be put in a box that confines them to only focus on their sport. But, not him. What many haven’t seen is Stefon’s genuine love for fashion, his curiosity in the design space and his keen eye for attention to detail. Not to mention, he has the personality of someone who was crafted in a lab. He’s charming, fun, witty, kind, confident and the list goes on.
Upon arrival to HollywoodLife‘s New York offices, all of that was evident. He showed up in a pair of clean Prada sneakers, dark-washed denim jeans and a printed puffer jacket. Stefon’s fashion knowledge needed no introduction. He fixed his backward cap, put his shades on and dove into conversation about his independence in fashion and his love for streetwear. He also explained the importance of discovering things about himself that he didn’t know before while co-designing a series of tracksuits with apparel partner, Adidas.
Stefon, who does not work with a stylist, has become a style icon around the league. From the pre-game to the post-game, he is thee person to watch both on and off the field because of his fashion sense. Along with taking us through the design process with Adidas, Stefon also weighed in on current trends in the fashion industry in “Stefon’s Fashion Diggs & Don’ts”, as seen in the above video. Read our full interview with the top wide receiver, below.
Stefon Diggs for HollywoodLife. (Photo credit: Courtesy of Amanda Jones)
How did this collaboration with Adidas come about?
“It was heavily anticipated. I’ve always wanted to do design. I wanted my next step to be with a brand that was going to allow me to come out with something on my own, for myself. I wanted to kind of take my first baby steps in trying to start figuring out the design process and what goes into creating. For me, that’s what I’ve always wanted to do. I love clothes, I love the process.
Why tracksuits?
“I feel like it correlated to what I do for a living, something comfortable, something I could wear on the daily, for me and for other athletes. I kind of just wanted it to be 1, comfortable, and 2, different. Different was important because you see tracksuits all the time, but what separates mine is that it has a different feel. And, you can wear them more than working out, you can look nice at a luncheon, in the evening, or if you’re running to the grocery store you’ll look nice. It’s just me, it’s my style.”
What did you learn about yourself after designing your first collection with Adidas?
“I feel like throughout the design process and creating these, I learned a lot about myself. You have to know what you want, and realize what other people want. At times, I got lost in ‘this is what I think I should do’, rather than ‘what I would do,’ because I was learning so much. I learned how to approach different things and how I want them done. It’s been a good thing, personally.”
What was the most challenging part of the design process?
“Just making the vision come to light. There’s things you want to do visually, but then there’s roadblocks that come up in terms of whether there is enough time, or material, or how you want things to fit. You’ve always got to have it fit right. You can have a vision that looks one way, but if it’s not fitted correctly, it won’t look the part. For me, really, the process — I won’t say any part of it’s easy, you’ve got to just appreciate every step along the way. I just know how I want to do things from here on out.”
How much creative freedom did you have?
“I didn’t want to work with anyone that was going to hold me back because I wouldn’t be able to start scratching the surface on what potential I do have and what I can learn. As much shackles as you put on somebody, it’s going to prolong their learning process. It was appreciated that they gave me creative freedom.”
If you weren’t playing football, would you be a full time designer?
“100 percent, I know that’s what I’d be doing if I weren’t playing football. I’m an obsessive kind of person. When I do something I want to be great at, I want to know all about it. But right now, it’s my second love. Football’s first.”
Who are you currently seeking style inspiration from?
“Shia LaBeouf has some great style. I saw Jonah Hill the other day shopping, he had this black silhouette on with his shirt tucked in. I like his style. I draw inspiration just from everyday people walking on the street. I was in Tokyo and I feel like you were born to be swaggy there.”