We all know Leigh Waters for her dominating women’s doubles performances that truly changed the way pickleball is played at the highest level.

We also know he as the super supportive mother, mentor and coach of World No. 1 Anna Leigh Waters.

But Leigh has also garnered attention as a trendsetter in the pickleball fashion department, too.

While most players, spectators, and coaches wear comfortable athleisure wear for long tournament days, she regularly sports luxury brand names like Gucci and Love Shack Fancy.

“There’s a whole facet of my life that probably not a lot of people know about. I am super into design, both clothing design and interior design. I’ve always loved fashion so much,” explained Waters on the Talk Pickle To Me podcast. 

Before her full-time gig coaching Anna Leigh and Christian Alshon, Leigh was a practicing lawyer in North Carolina and she even had a clothing line. 

“I had a clothing line for two years. I would go to New York and buy all my fabrics, I had a manufacturer in Pennsylvania, and I had a pattern maker. Talk about a tough business. I learned so much,” shared Waters. “I loved it because I just love fashion in general. If you go on my Instagram, I’m probably following more fashion things than pickleball things.” 

After a quick search, I can officially confirm that Mama Waters follows all the luxury fashion accounts, including Louis Vuitton, Hermès, YSL, Balenciaga, Miu Miu, Fendi, Prada, Dior, and Chanel.

But, there’s one brand that Leigh adores above the rest - Gucci - and she proudly wears it courtside at venues across the country.

“The Gucci thing started in college when I met my sister-in-law, Heather. Whenever I had something special happen, or we were celebrating something, I always wanted Gucci,” said Waters. 

When Waters played pro pickleball, she wore classic tennis dresses and pleated skirts like everyone else. But when she became a coach, she enjoyed the fact that she didn’t have to wear athleisure anymore. 

“One of the cool things about being a coach is that I can now wear whatever I want. I don’t have to necessarily wear a tennis or pickleball outfit. But, I still have a super sporty look,” she explained.

Leigh met a sales representative from Gucci a few years ago and that relationship led to the iconic courtside looks that the pickleball world was quick to notice. 

Spectators used to ask her about the intricacies of coaching Anna Leigh, but apparently now the primary conversation topic is actually Gucci.

“I’m getting way more attention for wearing my crazy Gucci outfits and I want to continue having fun with it and wearing what I want,” she mentioned.  

Leigh doesn’t strictly wear Gucci, of course. On Championship Sunday at the Carvana Mesa Cup, she changed things up a bit and wore an adorable dress from Love Shack Fancy that even got a mention on the Best Dressed List.

“Because I love fashion so much, I love getting to have those little conversations with people at the tournaments about fashion. It’s like my little stress release. I get so happy talking about something different, and I get to put out a different side of me. I realize it’s not a very good investment, but retail therapy is a thing, and I am a shopping addict,” she said.

Like Genie Bouchard, Leigh hopes to elevate pro pickleball’s fashion game.

And that's entirely possible moving forward given her platform.

“Maybe one day the sport will get to the level where these luxury brands are paying attention. It’s cool because tennis is starting to get to that level where the players have their sponsored bag, but then they’re also carrying their Gucci bag. You never know, pickleball could get there too,” she concluded. 

With Leigh's help, it most definitely will.