Court Couture: The Curatorial Director Behind Naomi Osaka’s Boldest Looks.

Photo Credit: Marty Harper's Instagram

When Naomi Osaka walked onto the court for her 2026 Australian Open match, she didn’t just arrive to play tennis. She arrived to transform it. In a teal Nike dress with ruffled, jellyfish-like tendrils, paired with an avant-garde pleated miniskirt, wide-leg pants, a veiled hat, and a parasol, Osaka delivered a statement in sartorial storytelling. The look, inspired by her two-year-old daughter’s fascination with a jellyfish illustration, was a breathtaking departure from traditional tennis whites and color-blocked athleisure. It was fashion as high art, performance, and personal narrative, proving that the court can be as powerful a runway as any during Fashion Month.

The seismic reaction, from rapturous praise to bemused comparisons to the Met Gala, confirmed a truth Osaka has long embodied: she is the definitive disruptor of tennis fashion. But for this latest iconic moment, she didn’t work alone. The final, show-stopping layers of the look, the pieces that elevated it from sportswear to spectacle, were the result of a visionary partnership with her longtime collaborator and curatorial director, Marty Harper.

The Curator Behind the Canvas

While the Nike team engineered the technical “jellyfish” dress, Osaka and Harper identified a missing element: a sense of ethereal, couture fantasy. It was Harper, in his role as the aesthetic architect of the project, who helped bridge that gap. While exchanging ideas for the Australian Open kit, he and Osaka discovered the work of London-based couturier Robert Wun, known for his sculptural, otherworldly designs.

“We were both instantly drawn to his shapes, his textures, the way his work moves,” Osaka told Vogue. Recognizing a perfect creative alignment, Harper helped broker the collaboration, tapping Wun to create the dreamy miniskirt, pants, umbrella, and hat that completed the vision. This move, identifying an external designer and seamlessly integrating their avant-garde sensibility into a functional tennis kit, is the hallmark of a curatorial director. Harper didn’t just style a look; he curated an entire world for Osaka to step into.

From Hairstylist to Holistic Visionary

The title 'curatorial director' is a natural evolution for Harper, who has been a central figure in crafting Osaka’s public image for over five years. He first entered her orbit as a hairstylist on a photoshoot, and their partnership has since blossomed into a holistic creative dialogue.

Their collaborations are legendary for their detail and narrative depth. For the 2025 U.S. Open, inspired by a rose motif in Osaka’s Nike outfits and a glittering Parisian cabaret show, Harper conceived crystallized hair roses and a series of punny, bejeweled “Labubus” accessories. “I wanted to create these ornate, crown-like beauty moments for Naomi,” Harper shared. “All I was thinking of was "let Naomi come and get her roses".

This background is crucial. Harper’s expertise isn't confined to hair; it’s about creating a total beauty and fashion moment that resonates with culture. He speaks of building a legacy with Osaka that honors her Afro-Haitian and Japanese heritage, merging showmanship with functionality. For the Australian Open, this curatorial eye expanded from beauty to the entire ensemble, ensuring every element, from the butterfly detailing on the hat (a nod to Osaka’s viral 2021 moment) to the fluidity of the pleats, served a unified story of transformation and power.

The New Playbook for Athletic Style

The success of the jellyfish look demonstrates a shifting landscape. Athletes are no longer just endorsers of brand logos, they are creative directors of their own style universes. In this new paradigm, a figure like Marty Harper is indispensable. He operates at the intersection of sports, fashion, and cultural curation, translating an athlete’s personal story into groundbreaking visual statements.

By partnering with a couturier like Robert Wun, Harper and Osaka did more than create a viral outfit. They redefined the possibilities of athletic dress, proving that the rigor of sport and the ambition of high fashion can not only co-exist but elevate each other. As Osaka continues to write her own story on and off the court, she does so with a curatorial director ensuring that every chapter is visually unforgettable.

Video Credit: Naomi Osaka's Instagram