{"id":7333,"date":"2026-08-20T21:10:57","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T21:10:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7333"},"modified":"2026-08-20T21:10:57","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T21:10:57","slug":"fashion-statement-how-hockeys-mariah-keopple-valkyries-gabby-williams-formed-a-unique-bond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7333","title":{"rendered":"Fashion statement: How hockey\u2019s Mariah Keopple, Valkyries\u2019 Gabby Williams formed a unique bond"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Mariah Keopple first bought a sewing machine in college, looking for a hobby to pass the time when the Ivy League hockey season was canceled due to the COVID pandemic.<\/p>\n

Read more Charges against LAPD officer who recorded colleagues\u2019 derogatory remarks are reduced<\/a><\/p>\n

Five years later, her work was shown off at a runway show during her Professional Women\u2019s Hockey League season, and a WNBA superstar wanted to hire her as a stylist.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s how Keopple and Gabby Williams partnered in Seattle, long before either knew they would end up Bay Area women\u2019s sports stars.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just wanted to learn how to sew,\u201d Keopple said. \u201c\u2026 I didn\u2019t expect someone like Gabby.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keopple is now preparing for her first season with the expansion PWHL club in San Jose while Williams is having a career season for the Golden State Valkyries. They first met last year when Keopple, then a member of the PWHL\u2019s Seattle Torrent, invited Williams to a fashion show while they were both at a Seattle Kraken game with their respective teams.<\/p>\n

Wanting to get to know members of one of the other pro women\u2019s teams in town better, and in Seattle longer than usual because she was rehabbing a knee injury, she went for fun.<\/p>\n

\u201cI ended up loving every single piece,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n

Keopple, who owns the fashion label \u201cRiah the Label,\u201d designed Williams\u2019 black resin corset and high-waisted skirt outfit she wore at the WNBA All-Star orange carpet event at the 2026 All-Star Game in Chicago.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Williams enjoys Schiaparelli and Dior runway shows, but had never had a stylist before meeting Keopple.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the first time I felt comfortable having one because when we see obviously like New York Fashion Weeks or whatever runways, you very rarely see people with athletic bodies,\u201d Williams said. \u201cSo seeing a brand that was built by an athlete, made for athletes or at least muscular women, I felt confident in trusting her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keopple herself had not considered being a stylist, especially for a public figure like Williams. She, in her mind, was still learning and improving since that first sewing machine.<\/p>\n

It was the first show Keopple had submitted her pieces for, and she was just excited her Torrent teammates showed up. She didn\u2019t think Williams actually would, or that they would hit it off beyond that weekend.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI was like, am I ready for this?\u201d Keopple said. \u201cI just was learning as much as I could during those months (before the show) and learning new techniques and it snowballed.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Keopple had three assists in 29 games with the Torrent last season and is known as a shutdown defender, and will likely be on the top defense pairing for San Jose this season.<\/p>\n

In that way, she is similar to Williams on the court, who is in contention for the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year award.<\/p>\n

Williams said she also has a similar sense of style with Keopple, rocking corsets and wide leg pants.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very rare, when I\u2019m online picking for clothes, it\u2019s hard to pick clothes because I know that these models don\u2019t have my kind of body,\u201d Williams said. \u201cIt\u2019s also nice having Mariah because she can just try something on and be a similar size of like, \u2018OK, I think this will work for you because it works for me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Keopple wrote her thesis at Princeton about fashion and identity in between watching YouTube videos of different stitches to improve her own work.<\/p>\n

Williams didn\u2019t mind the lack of experience; their vibes worked together.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was shocked, because I had seen some pieces she wore and really loved them,\u201d Keopple said. \u201cBut we got connected and it was great.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now that they\u2019re both in the Bay, Williams expects even more collabs. Keopple was the PWHL San Jose representative at Tuesday\u2019s Chase Center announcement that the Valkyries would host the 2027 WNBA All-Star Game.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great logistically,\u201d Williams smiled.<\/p>\n

Williams hasn\u2019t actually gotten to see Keopple play since she was overseas with Turkish team Fenerbah\u00e7e during the PWHL season.<\/p>\n

She hopes to see her with the PWHL San Jose franchise this winter for her first hockey experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m excited to go see her play,\u201d Williams said. \u201cShe\u2019s been to my games and has supported me, so I\u2019m excited to support her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Anti-transgender protest before Valkyries\u2019 game draws sparse crowd<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mariah Keopple of San Jose\u2019s expansion PWHL franchise has become quite a fashion designer. Just ask Valkyries star Gabby Williams.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7332,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nFashion statement: How hockey\u2019s Mariah Keopple, Valkyries\u2019 Gabby Williams formed a unique bond - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7333\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Fashion statement: How hockey\u2019s Mariah Keopple, Valkyries\u2019 Gabby Williams formed a unique bond - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Mariah Keopple of San Jose\u2019s expansion PWHL franchise has become quite a fashion designer. 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