I'm Olivia, the Founder of DAMECORE

I’ve always chased the feminine inside the masculinity.

On the court, that meant painted nails before tip-off, hair styled, makeup done—while lacing up for battle. That lens shaped my journey and forged my unique perspective.

From the very first time I stepped on the court, it was obvious—basketball wasn’t designed with girls like me.

In high school, my team was mockingly called “the diaper team” because we had to roll up oversized boys’ shorts just so we could move. Later, when I played on my university’s club team as the only girl, I was seen as “one of the guys.” These experiences didn’t build my confidence as a female athlete—they stripped it away. I wasn’t a baby, and I wasn’t a man. I was a strong woman athlete, and I demanded to be seen as one.

It’s no wonder so many girls drop out of sports or never feel encouraged to start. When you’re not seen, how can you feel inspired?

...

Despite everything, basketball became my anchor. When I moved to Paris on a whim without speaking a word of French, it became my universal language. The game opened doors, built connections, and taught me life’s most valuable lessons.

As I kept playing while building a career in fashion, I saw the glaring truth: there was no basketball brand truly made for women. Major sports labels offered scraps—limited collections that lacked innovation, investment, and respect. Their motto was simple: “shrink it and pink it.” And that was never going to be enough.

So I created DAMECORE—a women’s basketball brand born from personal need and a passion for empowerment. “Dame” means woman in French. “Core” represents the heart and focus of everything we do.

The idea began at university, where I dedicated my research to exploring how a women’s basketball brand could empower athletes. By graduation, I had a foundation backed by professors and industry professionals. I knew then: DAMECORE couldn’t just be apparel—it had to be a platform for cultural change.

After earning my diploma, I joined Christian Dior Couture in Paris as a communications assistant, where I amplified the brand’s commitment to women’s empowerment. I later continued with Dior in New York and was selected for the Women@Dior program, a partnership with UNESCO supporting women-led social entrepreneurship. That experience propelled DAMECORE into its community-building phase.

Since then, DAMECORE has hosted watch parties, mentorship workshops, and book launches—creating a community that not only celebrates women’s basketball but equips women with the skills, confidence, and empowerment to dream bigger.

In August, we launched our first pop-up—introducing femininity into basketball by reworking vintage shorts with lace trims and branding them as DAMECORE. The collection nearly sold out, marking the perfect entry point into a cultural movement built to uplift women in the game.

We're here to redefine what it means to be a woman in basketball, and this is only the beginning.

NYC POP-UP

FEMININITY IN BASKETBALL

Damecore hosted its first-ever pop-up in the Lower East Side. The event introduced the concept of femininity in basketball through a curated collection of reworked vintage basketball shorts.

Mentorship workshop

NYU Violet's X DAMECORE

The Damecore event, held in partnership with the two-time championship-winning NYU Violets, featured a mentorship workshop designed to inspire the next generation of athletes. The gathering brought the community together, using basketball as a platform to empower and uplift through shared experiences.

BOOK LAUNCH & DISCUSSION

HISTORY OF WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TALK

Damecore hosted college players and coaches from across New York for a book talk on the new edition of Shattering the Glass: The History of Women’s Basketball. The discussion highlighted the sport’s progress, the evolution of dress in basketball, and its broader impact on society.