When art and athletics collide on the hardwood, the resulting impact usually arrives packaged as a high-priced sneaker drop or a viral post-game tunnel walk. But a groundbreaking exhibition currently on display in downtown Portland is capturing something far deeper: the living, breathing sartorial identity of a league shaping global culture. A Women’s Basketball Fashion Archive: A Liberated Archives Exhibition, running through August 28, 2026, at Expensify located at 401 SW 5th Ave, brings together the worlds of sport, fine art, and social documentation.
Presented by the art and education nonprofit Don’t Shoot Portland in collaboration with Hypatia Sorunke, the exhibition serves as the physical realization of The Fitted W, a published photobook chronicling Sorunke’s coast-to-coast travels. During the historic 2024 WNBA season, Sorunke documented over 50 games across 12 different cities, capturing more than 1,200 images of attendees, players, and culture-shapers. It stands as the largest fine arts project ever undertaken to archive the professional women’s basketball space.
The project emerged as a direct response to historical narrative gaps surrounding women’s sports. Armed with a point-and-shoot film camera, an instant Polaroid, and a deep network within the LGBTQIA+ community, Sorunke focused on mapping Black, Queer, and Transgendered migration patterns and self-expression within sports arenas. As outlined by the organizers, safeguarding women's sports as a sanctuary where marginalized individuals can exist and dream relies heavily on fostering communities where everyone can see themselves reflected.
This visual ethos mirrors the evolution happening directly on the league's unofficial runways. Long before tunnel walks became multi-million-dollar brand showcases, WNBA athletes were navigating dress codes and societal boxes. Today, players like Angel Reese—who famously wore an ankle-length leopard-print coat-dress and Gianvito Rossi strappy heels on the All-Star Orange Carpet—and Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson—who stunned in a draped Di Petsa maroon gowngown—utilize fashion as a primary vehicle for business and personal identity. Dallas Wings guard DiJonai Carrington famously encapsulated the mindset to reporters, noting that arriving for a game carries the weight of a corporate board meeting: When you have your meeting with your CEO and your bosses, you want to look your best. And that’s how I feel every game day is: These are the CEOs, the bosses.
At the same time, former players are transitioning from consumers of fashion to creators. Kristine Anigwe, drafted 9th overall in 2019 by the Connecticut Sun, launched her brand KA Originals in March, pivoting from her dominance on the glass for the California Golden Bears to designing form-fitting tops, long London-inspired coats, and tailored wide-leg trousers for clients like Skylar Diggins-Smith and Arike Ogunbowale. Anigwe noted the psychological weight and liberating nature of her craft:
Fashion is supposed to be confusing. You’re supposed to try new things, start trends and see if other people follow. They don’t give us enough room to grow with fashion. I’m not trying to look like anything for anybody but myself.
Kristine Anigwe
The Portland exhibition leans heavily into these exact themes of bodily autonomy, space-claiming, and visual storytelling. Visitors seeking to experience the physical installation can view the collection at Expensify through August 28, 2026, with guided tours available by contacting [email protected]. As the WNBA continues its explosive upward trajectory in ticket sales, media rights, and cultural footprint, archives like Sorunke’s ensure that the aesthetic revolution fueling the league's modern era is permanently safeguarded for future generations.
Sources
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- wnba.com original
- Hannah Vanbiber July 20, 2025 at 2:46 AM UTC · 9 min read original
- Tonya Blazio-Licorish original
- pbs.org original
- eventbrite.com original
- Paulina Aguilar original
- Written By Tai Carpenter original
