WNBA Hopeful Flau’jae Johnson on Soft Glam, Confidence, and Staying Present

It’s WNBA draft night in New York City, and projected first-round pick Flau’jae Johnson has hit the orange carpet. For the occasion, Johnson chose a mermaid silhouette gown, paired with a furry black cape and a sparkling Judith Lieber clutch. She kept her glamor soft with purple eyeshadow and had her hair down and straightened.

When we caught up with her before her fitting last week, she told her stylist, Elly Karamoh, that her goal was to tie the Met Gala in with the WNBA draft, and that’s exactly the look she envisioned. “You really only get drafted once. Your draft fit is so important,” she shared, before giving her description: “Highly elegant.” For the night, she tapped Shafon Moore for makeup and Karjah Carter for hair.

The 22-year-old guard, who is graduating from LSU, is not only a star on the court (notably, she was named the 2023 SEC Freshman of the Year, a two-time All-SEC first-team selection, and a national championship winner), but also a star in pop culture and beauty circles. She’s a recording artist and rapper (her new song “Woah” is out soon), a philanthropist, and a true fashion and beauty enthusiast known for her long, dark curly hair and natural charm on and off the court.

Johnson credits her unwavering confidence to her mother and longtime manager Kia Brooks. “My mom was the first person to really instill confidence in me, tell me I was beautiful, tell me I could do anything I wanted to do, so I believed that,” Johnson said, adding that discovering herself was her favorite thing about her time at LSU. “I think the growth in my confidence has become something unshakable,” she added.

That confidence has paid off: She has nearly 4 million followers on Instagram and TikTok and recently landed an ELF Beauty contract. To stay grounded through it all, Johnson said she started journaling. “I always take notes as my mind is spinning,” she said, adding that she first reflects on her plans for the day and then lets it all go from there. “Every page is different.”

She also practices meditation and uses the 6-1-7 breathing exercise, which involves inhaling for six seconds, holding for one second, and exhaling for seven seconds, to help calm her nerves.