Tennis superstar and reigning Wimbledon® Champion Venus Williams adds fashion designer to her long list of accomplishments with the launch of EleVen™, her new clothing, footwear and accessories line, available beginning today at national retailer Steve & Barry’s®. EleVen represents the largest fashion collection ever launched by a female athlete, and features a wide assortment of active lifestyle and performance looks, high performance and casual footwear, accessories, and more. In keeping with Steve & Barry’s mission to offer the highest quality clothing items for the lowest possible price, each item in the EleVen collection is priced at $19.98 and under.

The in-store arrival of the EleVen collection comes just as Williams celebrates another milestone in her life, her graduation from fashion design school. On December 13, she will receive a degree in Fashion Design from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. Williams drew upon her design education and love of fashion when creating EleVen with a dedicated team of Steve & Barry’s designers. She immersed herself in the creation of every piece in the collection.

“I love fashion and the idea that I am using my design education to actually create clothing and footwear that reflects my personality and energy both on and off the court,” said Williams. “My vision was to create a collection that will allow women to easily transition throughout their active lifestyles and still look fashionable. I worked really hard with Steve & Barry’s to launch EleVen and I’m really excited that it’s finally available for women all over the country.”

The partnership between Williams and Steve & Barry’s was announced in August, with Williams wearing key items from the line during her matches at the U.S. Open™. That included her signature “V-Court” high performance sneaker, which retails for just $14.98. While the price point is affordable, the quality of the V-Court is high-end, offering similar construction and styling as many of the most expensive tennis sneakers on the market. Williams will continue to wear the V-Court and other EleVen outfits and accessories on-court in all of her matches.

The EleVen collection, which will be merchandised in a store-within-store environment featuring specially designed fixtures, video documentaries and signage, includes over 120 pieces. These include nine styles of athletic footwear in a wide variety of color ways, track suits, fleece outerwear, street active apparel, graphic t-shirts, puffy down jackets with removable sleeves, denim jackets and jeans, velour items, tote and gym bags, jewelry, sports socks and bras, and more.

Williams said the name EleVen comes from beating your perfect 10. “Why strive for a 10 when you can be an EleVen?” she says.

“We are excited to bring the EleVen collection to our customers in time for the Holiday shopping season,” said Steve & Barry’s President Andy Todd. “Venus Williams represents such fantastic qualities – achievement, fun, style - and EleVen genuinely represents those attributes. We have high hopes for its success for many years to come.”

Williams serves as a global ambassador for UNESCO - the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization – and proceeds from a specially designed t-shirt that will be part of the EleVen collection will benefit the United Nations agency. UNESCO promotes international cooperation among its 193 Member States and six Associate Members in the fields of education, science, culture and communication.

To celebrate the launch of EleVen, Williams will embark on the EleVen Tour, traveling to Steve & Barry’s stores across the country beginning November 16th in Chicago.

More information about EleVen, the EleVen Tour and Steve & Barry's is available online at www.elevenbyvenus.com and www.steveandbarrys.com

ABOUT STEVE & BARRY’S:

New York-based Steve & Barry’s® is a leading casual apparel retailer that offers high-quality merchandise at astonishing low prices for men, women and children. Founded in 1985, the company operates over 220 anchor and junior anchor shopping center and mall-based locations throughout the U.S. At Steve & Barry’s, shoppers will find brands they can’t find anywhere else, including EleVen™ by Venus Williams, BITTEN™, the first-ever apparel line created by actress and global fashion icon Sarah Jessica Parker, the Starbury™ Collection of athletic and lifestyle apparel and sneakers created with NBA® star Stephon Marbury, dear™ BY Amanda Bynes, and the Big Ben Wallace™ Collection. Additional information and store locations can be found at www.steveandbarrys.com.

ABOUT VENUS WILLIAMS:

Venus Williams began her professional tennis career at the tender age of 14. Fiercely determined and wielding an impressive physical prowess, she spent the next decade rising to the top-ranked position and winning numerous championships, including the U.S. Open™, Wimbledon®, and doubles at the Australian Open and French Open, in addition to two Olympic Gold medals. In July of 2007, Venus won her fourth Wimbledon® championship. In true Champion form, Venus has been known to break records. During the 2007 French Open, Venus served the fastest serve recorded in a women’s tour main draw match, and in 2004 she took home her third Wimbledon® championship after an intense 2 hour, 45 minute match against Lindsay Davenport. This was the longest women’s final in Wimbledon’s® 128-year history. Venus also owns a full-service interior design firm called V Starr Interiors, based in Jupiter, Florida. Additional information on V Starr Interiors can be found at www.vstarrinteriors.com.

Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, the French Open, the Australian Open, and the NBA are registered trademarks of their respective owners. Steve & Barry’s, EleVen, and Starbury are not associated with, endorsed or sponsored by Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, the French Open, the Australian Open, or the NBA.