A day after being named the 2025 ACC Tournament MVP, Oluchi Okananwa continued uploading an episode of her fashion series to Instagram.

The Maryland women’s basketball guard has tied styling into every aspect of her life, even down to her nickname “GucciLuchi”.

Dedicating time to fashion and styling helps Okananwa represent herself outside of basketball. While playing at Duke, the now-junior combined her childhood love of styling with her basketball platform, turning it into a brand she carries into College Park after her offseason transfer.

“When people think of me, they should think of fashion,” Okananwa said.

Okananwa is now eight episodes into her series “Styling w/ Luchi” that began at Duke. Blue Devils teammate Jadyn Donovan suggested Okananwa should style her teammates, kickstarting the series.

In most episodes, Okananwa uses clothing from her teammates’ closets and incorporates her own pieces to style outfits she feels suit their personalities. She rated teammates Addi Mack and Kyndal Walker’s first day of class outfits in her first episode with Maryland.

Okananwa’s goal is to find herself in the fashion space, with her current brand giving her a foot in the industry — especially in the Name, Image and Likeness era of college athletics.

Dominique Stapleton, a certified NBA/NCAA agent and NIL strategist for My NIL Worth A Mil, said Okananwa’s brand makes her more convincing for companies to invest in than a typical college athlete.

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“If you’ve built your brand, then they’re paying for your brand, your audience,” Stapleton said. “Not just the fact that you’re an athlete.”

The beginning of revenue sharing in 2025-26 ensures athletes in Power Five conferences will receive direct compensation. Still, Stapleton said building a personal brand is crucial.

Developing a brand gives an athlete longevity to generate revenue beyond college, she said. Social media has made it easier by giving everyone the ability to produce content. While some may negotiate for brand-building support when signing with teams, Stapleton said simply engaging their natural audience through their sport can be just as effective.

She added Okananwa’s confidence and personality “shine through” in her videos, and with improved production quality, she could carve out an even stronger niche for herself.

“I like the direction that she’s going,” Stapleton said. “The concept can be great if it’s done the right way.”

Okananwa has featured one partnership in her series: a Duke merchandise collaboration with Playa Society. She has a list of brands she hopes to collaborate with, from fast fashion shops such as H&M and Zara to luxury brands like Gucci.

Okananwa’s style started at home. Growing up in Nigerian culture, fashion and dressing well were core components, she said. Families hosted events dressed in the same fabrics, and Okananwa matched with her older sister, Chinma, at gatherings despite being four years apart.

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Chinma also wanted to be a designer growing up and bonded with her sister over shows such as Project Runway and America’s Next Top Model

“Seeing her vision be brought to life, and how she goes into styling an outfit and things like that, I think is just so beautiful,” Chinma said.

Okananwa’s series now mimics the days she’d dress up with her sister and walk down their hall imagining it was a runway. The bedroom setup helps the videos feel more relaxed.

“I really just wanted [the setup] to be like you’re getting a look into your older sister’s closet, and she’s playing dress up with her friends,” Okananwa said.

Okananwa has already planned her tunnel fits for this season but will keep it simple on the court. She’ll instead use the platform to style coach Brenda Frese for a matchup — a deal she said Frese agreed to.

The guard will savor her final two years of college but is excited for the next steps of her career, which fashion is guaranteed to be a part of.

“I see myself in the fashion space, no doubt,” Okananwa said. “Not just because I’m drawn to it, but because I am confident in my abilities within that space and think that I could have a future within it.”