Meet Jhoanna Alba: The Woman Behind Your Favorite Player’s Style

Originally Published by SLiC Sports on December 26th, 2019

In the last decade, fashion has become a dominant factor in professional sports.

Every time an athlete walks into an arena, cameras swarm like it’s a runway show, all trying to get the best shot of what outfit the top players are wearing.

And when those top athletes need their next great outfit, there is one woman they turn to:

Meet Jhoanna Alba, fashion designer for over 1,200 athletes, entertainers, and business executives.

Alba, who was born in the Philippines but has lived her entire life in Los Angeles, discovered her combined love for both fashion and sports at an early age.

“My Mom taught me to sew when I was six years old, and often I would sew as my Dad would have basketball on the TV,” Alba said, as she still considered herself as an avid sports fan.

However, as deep-rooted her love of fashion is, designing was not originally her first choice for a career.

“I originally went to school to become a preschool teacher, but since teaching didn’t pay much, I decided to take a job working nights at a rental tuxedo store.”

Alba would pull double shifts, teaching during the day and renting out tuxes during her nights and weekends. However, it would be during this period that her knack for Men’s fashion would develop.

After just a few months, Alba would become the youngest manager in the country of Gary’s Tux Shop chain, and eventually handle all the company’s major Beverly Hills events, including Elton John’s massive fundraisers.

Her work would not go unnoticed, as fashion designer Deion Scott relentlessly pursued her to design custom women’s clothing.

“I was hesitant at first because I loved working for Gary’s, but after six months of calling, I decided it was the best step for my career.”

At just 20 years old, Alba was now designing clothes for the top women of Los Angeles.

One client would be particularly impactful, as she would introduce Alba to a mentor who would change her life forever.

While designing dresses for Cookie Johnson, Alba would meet NBA Hall-of-Famer and Cookie’s husband, Magic Johnson, who asked her to make ten custom suits.

After being blown away by not only Alba’s fashion sense but also her work ethic, Johnson soon connected her to others in his network.

“And the rest is history.” said Alba, who still maintains both a friendship and business partnership with Johnson.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ynCygiEyIA

Alba quickly became one of the most sought after designers, known for creating classy custom suits at the drop of a hat.

Throughout her 20+ years in the fashion industry, Alba’s business has grown organically through word of mouth, never spending a dime on formal marketing.

With a unique client base that includes men over 7 feet tall or 300 pounds in stature, Alba enjoys the challenges of designing custom clothes of some of the worlds’ largest men.

“Normally we’d prefer two weeks for our orders, but we can turn a suit out in less than 48 hours to have our clients ready to go for any event or game they have.”

Alba credits her fast process to owning her own production house, which includes thirty exclusive on-call tailors that are headed up by her mother. (Mom’s name?)

Alba’s clientele is not limited to sports, as she has also made suits for celebrities such as rappers Quavo and Tyga, and created the entire wardrobe for the most recent season of HBO’s TV show ‘Ballers’ staring Dwyane’ The Rock’ Johnson.

For inspiration, Alba credits the style of the 1920s for her designs, citing the simplistic but classy suits of the era.

“All of my outfits are simple at their core, but also feature a healthy amount of color and flash when the time is right.”

Alba also emphasizes each client’s personal style in her designs, analyzing their current closet beforehand and helping create a plan that helps create the best possible image for each individual.

“Each player is their own brand image, and their fashion is one of the key ways to establish this.”

However, what is even more impressive than Alba’s prolific fashion is the relationships she keeps with her clients.

“My clients are my favorite part of what I do.” Alba stated. “It’s all about the guys, making them look and feel their best.”

With over 1,800 contacts in her phone, Alba still finds the time to keep in touch with each client with her fool-proof strategy.

“I make sure to text every contact in my phone two things: ‘How are you and how is your family?’. I go A through Z, and when I finally finish, I start the process all over again.”

For all the men who looked to achieve the same level of style in their own lives, Alba offers one key piece of advice.

“Keep it simple, especially if you’re on a first date.”

With clients spanning across all major sports leagues, Alba added she believes the NBA easily has the best fashion, citing Houston Rocket as a fashion trailblazer for the league.

Over two decades, Alba has been able to help thousands of men and women look and feel their best through her sharp designs and personalized relationship strategies.

With her business continually expanding, there is no doubt she will influence fashion trends and make a positive impact on thousands of more lives.