MICHEAL SHELLIS FOR DICKIES
December 13, 2024
Adrianne Ross, a former pro-hooper, hung up her jersey to become one of the fashion games' most dynamic up-and-coming fashion consultants. She has transferred her unique creative flare on the court to her Style and Image Consulting Firm, Studio 33. Rightfully carrying the same number, 33, that followed her throughout her basketball career into her new role as CEO.
Adrianne is a dreamer who holds herself in high regard with a vision that allows her to see through her wildest dreams. Raised in New Mexico by her single mother, she had a goal to see her basketball career to its peak. She led her high school team to their first state championship and completed her senior year as one of the most highly decorated female athletes to come out of the state of New Mexico. She continued her career at Texas Christian University where she led a very successful career that was later stamped by being inducted into the TCU Hall of Fame. Coincidently, Adrianne also studied broadcasting and fashion merchandising at TCU. She went on to fulfill her dream of competing at the highest level while playing in the WNBA and also throughout Europe.
From a young age, basketball served as an escape for Adrianne — a place to focus her energy and pursue her passion. She understood the impact she made on her community and naturally stepped in as a role model for youth. She would return home between seasons to host and organize an annual basketball camp for youth in her hometown. When her mother was diagnosed with cancer in 2018, Adrianne decided to end her basketball career and move back home. During this time, she began a basketball training business, A-Train. She lent her experience to develop some of her town's most promising talents. She recognizes the power of representation and the impact she strives to make is much bigger than basketball.
In the wake of her most challenging times, juggling her new business while caring for her mother, she began dreaming again. She says expressing herself through fashion is a form of self-care. She finds comfort in living outside of the box and donning herself in outfits that showcase her colorful, creative and layered personal style. In between caring for her mother, she would find moments of refuge thrifting in local shops and collecting high-end streetwear finds from small businesses. She shared her vision with her mother who affirmed her new direction with love and support. This nod of approval gave Adrianne all the confidence she needed to pursue her passion of entering the fashion world. The passing of her mother in 2019 amplified Adrianne’s ambitions to carry out her mother’s legacy. She moved to DFW to work for a global non-profit while dreaming up her visions for Studio 33.
Studio 33 is a vehicle that allows Adrianne's brilliant mind to create, design, and influence culture. She mapped out a plan and sought after a team to help bring her vision into reality. Adrianne’s background in basketball gives her a unique advantage in the way she views style, understanding that a team has many different styles of play. She realized this when she first entered the industry, seeing that people would wear pretty much anything and everything, from basketball shorts with blazers to jeans and jerseys. However, she enjoys the recent growth in streetwear’s popularity, a style often inspired by sports, as it’s an area she’s comfortable with thanks to her background in basketball. A recent collaboration Adrianne is excited about is working with the Dallas Wings center and Jordan Brand athlete, Isabelle Harrison, on a project with ESPN, fusing her past in the WNBA and her present in fashion to help prepare a masterful photoshoot.
One of her coaches described Adrianne to have a “unique ability to make people around her better” and she is bringing the collaborative style of play with her into this new career. Adrianne admits that as a creative entrepreneur life can be hectic and can feel impossible to maintain a schedule. But, as the lessons pile up she finds peace in being able to wake up every day to do something she loves.
