Madison Ledyard is the Innovative Stylist Behind Your Favorite Women’s Basketball Looks This Year—from Zia Cooke to Angel Reese
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At just 20 years old, Madison Ledyard has emerged as one of the most exciting stylists in the game and the visionary behind some of the biggest fashion moments in women’s basketball. When we first caught up with the Cleveland native for an episode of “WSLAM Styling,” she had just worked with Sparks’ rookie Zia Cooke for her 2023 WNBA Draft look. Cooke pulled up wearing an elegant mermaid cutout dress with exquisite gemstones and detailing. The look caught everyone’s attention, especially on WNBA Twitter.
“I just thought it was so crazy that [Cooke] wanted me for such a special moment,” Ledyard, who has known Cooke for years, told us back in April. “We wanted to do something completely different. We wanted her to step out of her comfort zone a little, because a lot of people aren’t used to seeing Zia in gowns, hair up, you get what I’m saying? We wanted to do something very, very different for this so that we could always remember it.”
Ledyard got into styling when she was 18, exploring her creativity on TikTok where she’d make videos of different outfits she had put together, posting “Style With Me” clips. Influencers started reaching out to her for help with putting together looks for different collabs they were doing. Pretty soon, more opportunities started rolling in: Maddie attended New York Fashion Week and even styled Coco Blake.
That was just the beginning. After tweeting that she wanted to work with LSU star Angel Reese—to which the Bayou Barbie responded with “*eyeball emoji* let’s workkkkk”—Ledyard became the go-to stylist for some of Reese’s biggest appearances this year. Her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue release party look? That was Maddie. The ESPN Upfront event? Maddie styled that, too.
“If you told me a few months ago that I would be working with Angel, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Ledyard says. “Back in March, I was eating at a restaurant in Miami and I got the opportunity to watch Angel’s championship game, and I thought in my head, I’m gonna find my way to her. I don’t know how but I am.”
And she did. Maddie also styled Reese for “Put It On Da Floor Again,” Latto’s new music video featuring Cardi B. In the video, the Bayou Barbie is rockin’ a baby blue hoodie, camo mini skirt and a pair of Y2K-esque sunglasses as she rips Latto out of a display covered in Saran Wrap. In another scene, she’s pushing Latto around in a shopping cart at a supermarket while singing along to the song.
When Cardi B raps the line, “I been ballin’ so damn hard, could’ve went to LSU,” the camera zooms in on Reese, who stares back through her shades.
With only a few days’ notice that the shoot was going to have a Y2K theme, Ledyard sourced most of the pieces from different thrift stores. As for Angel’s boots, well, that was all Maddie—she made them out of a pair of rain boots that she thrifted and a piece of fur material.
“When it comes to my clients, I am very dedicated, and I will do anything to find an outfit for an occasion,” she says. “When it comes down to it, I don’t mind getting crafty for my clients.”
As for her own personal style, Maddie describes it as being very “streetwear, chill and laid back,” but she can tap into her “classy side” when she wants to. She also loves sweats, a denim-look and graphic tees. Her clients don’t just trust her taste but also her vision. As she continues to take over the styling game, Maddie is just as focused on supporting the next generation of creatives.
“I personally feel like I am just beginning. I am nowhere [near] where I wanna be. But I’m so thankful for these recent opportunities,” she says. “And I have so much in store for the rest of the year, and I’m so excited for you guys to see. I genuinely want to use this success and platform to help younger creators make it, because I know how hard it is to make it where I’m from. I would love to create more opportunities for young aspiring creative stylists.”
Photos by OneChanceFlims and Getty Images, courtesy of Maddie.
