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It's often surprising to discover just how extensive a professional athlete's support system is. Long gone are the days of it being just the athlete, his family, and his agent. There are now many different people available to advise the athlete, including people who help pick out their outfits. Dan Solomon assumes this role for numerous professional athletes and celebrities.
Solomon has been assisting athletes in the NBA, WNBA, NFL, and other celebrities and influencers for the past eight years. His work has been featured much more prominently in recent months, as he serves as a personal stylist for a couple of players on the most recent NBA champion, the Oklahoma City Thunder, with Isaiah Hartenstein being one of his closest relationships in the business.
Solomon calls himself a “stylist and personal shopper.” One of the most common trends in professional sports now is the athlete’s pre-game walk-in, where players showcase themselves through their attire and interactions with the cameras. Solomon makes sure his clients are looking their best when the cameras are shining brightest.
It's no wonder that Solomon has so many relationships in sports. He is the person who takes the load off the player's shoulders on game day, as showcased in ClutchPoints’ video when Hartenstein calls him before one of the playoff games to pick out his outfit. While many people might get out of bed and throw on whatever is clean, some athletes put an enormous amount of thought into their wardrobe.
Dan Solomon's relationships as a personal stylist
Solomon says that he has always had an interest in assisting athletes from a young age. It was fresh in his mind when he went to college at Indiana University, where a friendship put him on a launching pad into success.
At Indiana, Solomon became friends with current New York Knicks star OG Anunoby and met future NBA players Thomas Bryant and Noah Vonleh as well. With so many friends who would eventually make it to the NBA, it's no wonder that Solomon became such a prominent figure in the sports world.
He began the role by bringing Anunoby clothing on his road trips in the early days with the Toronto Raptors. It led to him setting up hotel shops, where teams could come and pick out clothing in a more discreet manner than going into public and getting recognized. It's an underrated and untapped market for athletes who aren't able to live everyday lives like everyone else.
Within a couple of years, Solomon was able to turn his professional relationship with one person, Anunoby, into over 100 clients across sports and celebrity culture. He now owns a platform called Closet Tours, which enables fans to view various fashion pieces from their favorite athletes. One superstar athlete he is now representing and showcasing his clothes is Tyrese Haliburton.
It's a great story that Solomon is writing. Some people love sports but can't play professionally themselves. When creative individuals like Solomon find a way to carve out a niche in the sports world, it's hard not to root for them to succeed.
