What It's Like Styling WNBA It Girls

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Being an elite athlete isn't just about your in-game performance. Part of the job includes how you present yourself online, the sponsorship deals you land, and, yes, even what you wear to games. That's where stylists Manny Jay and Brittany Hampton come in.

Jay began his career as an editorial stylist working with actresses and musicians, and he even assisted the legendary costume designer and fashion stylist Patricia Field. Through the power of manifestation, Jay says he was able to make the pivot to working with a top athlete, the WNBA's Skylar Diggins. "Just last year, I started saying to myself, 'I'm going to start doing tunnel walks at the top of the year,'" Jay said. "By the end of the year, that's when I had met Skylar , so yeah, I kind of manifested that too."

Hampton got her start in fashion by designing prom dresses while she was still in high school. "There were girls that were in my class that were like, 'Hey, could you design my prom dress?'" Hampton said. "MySpace, at the time, was really big on finding the new, up-and-coming artists, and I had that platform to showcase that I was a designer and made a couple girls' prom dresses, and it kind of went viral." Eventually, Hampton made the transition from designing to styling after moving to Los Angeles.

For the latest episode of The Who What Wear Podcast, Jay and Hampton sit down with Who What Wear senior fashion editor Eliza Huber to share how they got their start in the fashion industry, why they decided to work with athletes, and more.

For excerpts from their conversation, scroll below.

Do you remember when you first realized that you wanted to be a stylist? How did you go about pursuing it as a career and building your portfolio of clients?