{"id":509161,"date":"2026-03-07T11:53:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T11:53:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/509161\/"},"modified":"2026-03-07T11:53:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T11:53:12","slug":"charleston-native-goes-from-the-hardwood-to-haute-couture-the-real-wv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/509161\/","title":{"rendered":"Charleston native goes from the Hardwood to Haute Couture \u2013 The Real WV"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By <a href=\"https:\/\/blackbygod.org\/articles\/bbg-sports\/renee-montgomery-chanel-cc-league-mentor\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Black By God<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Donate <a href=\"https:\/\/blackbygod.org\/support-us\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/renee-montgomery-1024x577.jpg\" alt=\"The current image has no alternative text. The file name is: renee-montgomery.jpg\"\/>Photo from Renee Montgomery\u2019s social media. <\/p>\n<p>Two-time WNBA champion. Sports analyst. Team executive. Trailblazer.<\/p>\n<p>Now, add Chanel mentor to the list.<\/p>\n<p>Renee Montgomery has officially joined Chanel Fragrance &amp; Beauty as a mentor for the CC League by Chanel Beauty \u2014 a global initiative that brings together elite women athletes to explore identity, movement, beauty, and self-expression beyond the game.<\/p>\n<p>For many, this is a fashion headline.<\/p>\n<p>For West Virginia, it\u2019s bigger than that.<\/p>\n<p>Montgomery, a Charleston native and University of Connecticut standout, has never fit neatly into one box. From winning championships in the WNBA to becoming part-owner and executive with the Atlanta Dream, she has consistently expanded what leadership looks like for Black women in sports. Her newest role with Chanel signals something equally powerful: global brands are recognizing athletes not just for performance, but for perspective.<\/p>\n<p>The CC League by Chanel Beauty centers on freedom \u2014 freedom of movement, freedom of spirit, and the freedom to define beauty on one\u2019s own terms. As mentor, Montgomery will guide seven athletes through a year-long experience designed to elevate their voices and individuality.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement shared on social media, Montgomery called joining the Chanel family \u201ca dream\u201d and expressed pride in being chosen as mentor for the CC League.<\/p>\n<p>That word \u2014 chosen \u2014 matters.<\/p>\n<p>For a Black woman from Appalachia to move from hardwood courts to one of the most iconic luxury houses in the world reflects a shift in cultural power. Chanel is not simply aligning with athletic excellence. It is aligning with narrative \u2014 discipline paired with vulnerability, strength paired with style.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-03-at-12.01.43-PM-1024x765.png\" alt=\"The Charleston, West Virginia native and WNBA champion steps into luxury fashion as a mentor for Chanel\u2019s CC League.\" class=\"wp-image-11567\"\/>The Charleston, West Virginia, native and WNBA champion, Renee Montgomery, steps into luxury fashion as a mentor for Chanel\u2019s CC League. Photo courtesy of Chanel. <\/p>\n<p>And for young girls watching in West Virginia? The message is clear: your zip code does not limit your runway.<\/p>\n<p>Montgomery\u2019s career has always been about redefining space \u2014 whether that meant opting out of a WNBA season to focus on social justice, stepping into ownership in professional sports, or now mentoring athletes in a global beauty program rooted in self-definition.<\/p>\n<p>It also challenges a long-standing stereotype about who represents \u201cluxury.\u201d Appalachian Black women are rarely centered in high-fashion spaces. Montgomery\u2019s presence shifts that image without abandoning her roots.<\/p>\n<p>Moments equal momentum, reads the campaign tagline.<\/p>\n<p>For Renee Montgomery, each moment \u2014 from Charleston to championships to Chanel \u2014 has built exactly that.<\/p>\n<p>And for West Virginia, it\u2019s another reminder: global impact can rise from mountain soil.<\/p>\n<p>Black By God will continue tracking how Montgomery uses this platform \u2014 not just as a fashion moment, but as a leadership one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Black By God. Donate here. Photo from Renee Montgomery\u2019s social media. Two-time WNBA champion. Sports analyst. Team&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":509162,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[99,434],"class_list":["post-509161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/509161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=509161"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/509161\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/509162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=509161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=509161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=509161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}