Where to buy Serena Williams’ big orange US Open tote: the tennis legend turned heads with the US$2,000 Niccolo bag from Italy-inspired designer Kimberly Pucci – a style she loves as a ‘busy mum’

Sep 7 , 2022

Women’s tennis legend Serena Williams turned heads at what may be her last US Open with a giant orange Niccolo bag from Italy-inspired designer Kimberly Pucci. Photo: TPN/Getty Images

The tennis GOAT, who just announced her retirement from the sport, met the Rhode Island-based luxury designer at a party in the Hamptons hosted by the exclusive 1640 Society of billionaire families

Williams spoke at the event repping her venture capital firm, Serena Ventures, which has invested in Daily Harvest, Noom, Tonal Systems, MasterClass (Yanka Industries) and other companies

When you are one of the greatest tennis players of all time with millions of fans worldwide, plus you have shown a keen eye for fashion yourself, it’s no surprise that your choice of what to wear and even carry is keenly observed.

So for those wondering, that giant orange bag with a metallic navy and white racing stripe that Serena Williams touted at what may well be her last US Open, is the Niccolo bag by designer Kimberly Pucci.

According to an interview with the Rhode Island-based designer on Bloomberg Radio, Williams fell in love with the bag at a party in the Hamptons hosted by the 1640 Society, a gathering of the heads of prominent – and often billionaire – families who summer in the beach community.

The 40-year-old tennis pro, who recently announced her retirement from the sport (in all but name) runs a venture capital company, Serena Ventures, which invests in start-ups and wellness companies such as Daily Harvest, Noom, Tonal Systems and MasterClass (Yanka Industries). She was speaking at the exclusive event when Pucci introduced herself as an American luxury goods designer who previously lived and worked in Italy.

Tennis star Serena Williams heads for Flushing Meadows, the site of the US Open, on its opening day, August 29. Photo: GC Images

Williams told Pucci that, being a busy mum, she is a fan of oversized bags with no zips that she can quickly take things out of. Pucci quickly gave the tennis legend her sporty bag with its Tuscan flare. It surely didn’t hurt that Williams has a special connection with Italy – after all, she met her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, in Rome in 2015.

Williams decided to wear the distinctive bag onto the court on August 24, during the opening of the US Open practice sessions, and Pucci said that within five minutes she received about 20 text messages from clients and friends who recognised the bag. Ever since, inquiries have been pouring in.

“In the world of fashion and luxury goods, putting your name on a brand is not easy,” Pucci said, and it was especially challenging during the pandemic. She considers Williams’ adoption of the bag a life-changing event, especially when you consider how rare it is for a heavily-sponsored star athlete like Williams to carry something from a small, bespoke designer.