Carl Ona Embo’s Biography
Passionate about sport from an early age, Carl ONA EMBO embarked on a long career as a professional basketball player. At the age of 18, he signed his 1st professional contract, which sent him beyond the French border. Biella was his destination! A town in northern Italy, 1 hour from Milan. A rich 3-year experience that exposed him to the very highest levels of sport and fashion.
Milan is home to some of Europe’s biggest sports clubs, including Olimpia Milano (basketball), AC Milano and Inter Milano (football). At the same time, Carl discovered the world of fashion when he was invited to Milan Fashion Week for the first time. It was a world that was still unknown to him, and one that developed a new passion year after year.
His 16-year career has given him the opportunity to travel and discover other countries and cultures. In addition to France and Italy, he played in Spain, Germany and the United States in the American development league (GLeague). Thanks to all these different experiences, Carl has been able to build up an international network that goes beyond the world of sport.
In 2023, he decided to rekindle the passion that had grown within him under the influence of his experience in Milan. Fashion ! but not only that, he sought to blend all his influences into one: sport, music and fashion. The abundance of collaborations between the worlds of luxury, sport and music serve as inspiration for many passionate people from different backgrounds, and Carl is one of them.
In the past, we have seen major sports stars collaborate with the world of luxury. Until recently, however, there were few, if any, collaborations between luxury and hip hop. American and French artists such as Pharrell Williams, Asap Rocky, Pusha T and Gazo have become the muse of luxury brands and are in charge of a collection’s DA. Basketball and hip hop are extremely closely linked, and basketball players and artists frequently attend and collaborate on fashion shows. Lebron James as the face of the Pharrell Williams collection at Louis Vuitton is a perfect illustration.
And this door has been opened thanks to the legend Dapper Dan! The American designer who dressed the entire hip hop scene in the 80s is collaborating with Gucci in 2017.
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