in the field: studbudz in vogue

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Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman—better known as the StudBudz—have taken the WNBA by storm this season. The pair launched a Twitch stream together, took over WNBA All-Star Weekend, and are now playing alongside each other in the playoff semi-finals as teammates on the Minnesota Lynx.

This pink-haired duo has found themselves as the personality-driven faces of the league (with plenty of on-court talent to back it up), showing that the studs—Black, masculine-of-center lesbians—who make up a not-insignificant portion of the WNBA are just as marketable as their conventionally feminine counterparts. And while Williams and Hiedeman have not been without controversy (Williams, in particular, has a particular talent for putting her foot in her mouth due to unexamined internalized misogyny and biphobia), their ability to continue to unabashedly be who they are has kept them from garnering too much backlash (brief Dave Portnoy dalliance not withstanding).

Proving their mainstream appeal, the StudBudz were featured in Vogue, with an incredible spread of photos to run alongside the feature story about the pair. Vogue has always covered women athletes (more on that below), but seeing these two studs carrying an entire spread for Vogue felt significant. I wanted to talk to Leah Faye Cooper, who wrote and conceived of the profile (and, full disclosure, is my editor at the publication), and Devin Hershey, who styled Williams and Hiedeman for the shoot.

Below, the behind-the-scenes on how the StudBudz Vogue profile came to be.

Out of Your League: How did the idea for this profile of the StudBudz come about?

Leah Faye Cooper: I was at WNBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, and like so many others, I was completely enthralled by their 72-hour livestream. It was hilarious and highly entertaining, but also such a perfect depiction of today's WNBA, which is electric and filled with so much talent, style, and personality. The stream was such a big moment, and resonating with people who don't even follow women's basketball, so we were eager to profile Courtney and Natisha. We started discussing the shoot before the weekend was even over. 

OOYL: This isn't the typical kind of content, or women, that people traditionally associate with being featured in Vogue. Why did doing this story feel like the right fit for Vogue and its audience?

LFC: The StudBudz embody so much of what Vogue aims to highlight. They're ambitious, successful, incredibly stylish women, who are also in the public eye and part of the current pop-culture conversation. That, paired with the growing popularity of the WNBA and women's sports in general, and it honestly would have been a miss on our part not to profile them. 

OOYL: What was the angle you wanted to approach this story with? How was that different than coverage you'd been seeing of the StudBudz?

LFC: There has been a lot of coverage about the popularity of their stream, their friendships, and the attention that they're bringing to the WNBA, but I thought it was really important to also focus on identity. We're not far removed from a time when it was unheard of for masculine-presenting gay Black women to live openly and unapologetically. And as Courtney and Natisha both discussed in the interview, they're keenly aware of the fact that not everyone who shares that identity feels as safe or empowered as they are to express it. So that was one element that was essential to include. Also, they have great personal style, but we had yet to see them professionally styled. We really wanted to shoot them in some capital F fashion to help bring the story to life.  

OOYL: Do you have a favorite moment from the interview with Courtney and Natisha that you can share?

LFC: The entire shoot was such a delight, and it was really nice to observe their dynamic as friends. They are truly that close, that funny, and that unfiltered, regardless of whether or not a camera is rolling. So I'd say my favorite moment was just watching them interact as if no one else was in the room—laughing, dancing, hyping each other up.  

OOYL: What kind of women's sports content is Vogue hoping to produce, looking to the future and the moment that these athletes and these sports are having?

LFC: We've always championed female athletes, from our multiple Serena Williams covers to breaking the news that Angel Reese was heading to the WNBA. We want to continue covering the biggest names and fiercest competitors, but also highlight emerging talents and those with a deep appreciation for fashion and style. At the same time, these women are so much more than the sport that they play and the outfits that they wear, so our coverage will also speak to them as teammates, mothers, friends, partners, and businesswomen—the dynamic women that they are.

Out of Your League: I think of Courtney and Natisha as style icons in their own right (and they're mostly self-styled, I believe!). When you found out you'd be styling the StudBudz for a Vogue photoshoot, what vision did you have in mind for their clothing and aesthetic?

Devin Hershey: Courtney and Natisha both have such a strong point of view when it comes to their personal style, and they execute it so well on their own, they’re truly self-styled. Whenever I work with talent, whether it’s an actor, athlete, or musician, I always start with research. My role is to bridge the gap between their personal aesthetic and the publication, making sure the talent feels both comfortable and excited about what they’re wearing, because you can always tell when someone doesn’t.

For this shoot, I was really inspired by their existing styles. [Photographer] Rasaan [Wyzard] and I spoke a lot about the concept and wanted to emphasize a sense of ‘twinning,’ so we pulled references from photographer Malick Sidibé. From there, I made sure to weave in details that were true to each of them: Courtney often incorporates tailoring and menswear elements like ties, while Natisha gravitates toward color and has amazing jewelry. By leaning into those details while also coordinating silhouettes, colors, and patterns, I wanted the styling to reflect their bond, whether you saw them as twins, best friends, or both.

OOYL: How much input did Courtney and Natisha have in terms of choosing the outfits they wore for the shoot?

DH: Courtney and Natisha both saw the looks I’d prepared on the morning of the shoot. I walked them through each outfit and made it clear that if anything felt uncomfortable or off to them, I was happy to adjust or swap pieces. For me, it’s really important that the talent feels good in what they’re wearing, because that energy always translates on camera. Fortunately, they loved everything I proposed, they’re both such a great fit that it made my job easy. They were also incredibly warm and vocal about appreciating my work, which brought so much energy to the day and made the collaboration really fun.

OOYL: What was it like to style masculine women for Vogue? Were there different considerations you were making than you would for a more traditionally feminine subject? Any challenges or unique opportunities that this shoot allowed that others might not have?

DH: I really loved having the opportunity to style Courtney and Natisha in a way that isn’t typically seen on the Vogue platform. There were definitely different considerations for example, since neither of them present in a traditionally feminine way, I knew dresses and more conventionally feminine pieces were off the table. Instead, I focused on leaning into their personal aesthetics and made a very deliberate push with the fashion houses to secure menswear.

What was really encouraging was how open and supportive most of the houses were. There’s historically been a rigid line in the industry, women being sent only RTW and men only menswear, so to see how much that’s shifted in today’s climate was genuinely heartening. There was one house that resisted and ultimately didn't loan for the shoot, but their PR team made a concerted effort to push HQ to reconsider. That in itself felt like progress.

Overall, the unique opportunity here was being able to highlight two women whose styles expand the definition of what women can look like in Vogue, and to do it in a way that felt authentic to them and true to the publication.

OOYL: What is your favorite look that each of them wore during the shoot?

DH: That’s a tough one, but for Courtney I especially loved the lilac Gucci suit, her own funny commentary about it made the moment even better, as well as the Tanner Fletcher knit vest with trousers. For Natisha, I really loved the pale blue Hermès shirt paired with Issey Miyake trousers, and another look with a brown Gucci shirt, Hermès scarf, and coordinating Gucci trousers.

What made it even more rewarding was how open and excited they both were to try new things. They were so appreciative of the process and honestly looked fantastic in everything, which made styling them such a joy.

OOYL: Anything else you want to share?

DH: Courtney and Natisha have such infectious energy, they’re genuinely warm, loving people, and it was a joy to work with them. Beyond the shoot, it was heartwarming to witness their bond and to spend time with them; I even joined them for a night out afterward and truly walked away feeling like I’d made new friends. I have only the best things to say about them and their team, who were consummate professionals throughout. It was an experience that reminded me why I love doing this work.