Olympic Swimmer Ryan Lochte Wants To Be A Fashion Designer

by Hilary George-Parkin | 6:42 pm, June 10th, 2012

Quite a few industry types have been raising their eyebrows at Vogue‘s June 2012 cover, which features Olympic hopefuls Hope Solo, Serena Williams, and Ryan Lochte and bears a striking resemblance to your run-of-the-mill fitness magazine. But it turns out fashion isn’t much of a stretch for the male third of the trio. This week, the New York Times takes a look at Lochte’s style and sartorial ambitions, right down to his collection of neon Speedos.

His style has already set him apart. Like his idol Lil Wayne, he has a hip-hop and skater-inflected look, with flashy jewelry and swaggy high-tops. He has worn diamond grillz over his teeth on the winner’s podium, and designed a pair of emerald rhinestone-encrusted sneakers with Speedo.

That’s a lot of bling. Also, is “swaggy” really a NYT-approved adjective now? Thanks a lot, Bieber.

In any case, the swimmer is apparently planning on parlaying his athletic success into a career as a clothing designer – natural progression, right?

“I want to be different, and fashion gives me that outlet to do that.”

Lochte also has about 130 pairs of shoes (including a seriously patriotic pair of winged high-tops) and is planning on investing in some red, white, and blue grillz to flash during the Olympics. Consider yourself warned.

[NYT]

Ryan Lochte Fashion Vogue June 2012