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Like so many other NBA superstars, it’s no secret that Carmelo Anthony is a fan of fashion. When a lockout prevented Melo from focusing his efforts on basketball, the Knicks small forward filled the void with an appearance in Vogue Italia, he caused quite a sensation as a front row fixture during Fashion Week in New York, and he debuted his signature Jordan Brand sneakers. For athletes like Melo, developing a savvy business sense outside of their sport is extremely important. Fashion is a popular path to take, as stylish side projects and fashion endorsements are commonplace among NBA ballers. And similar to his teammate Amar’e Stoudemire, Melo’s next great fashion venture could involve creating a clothing line of own.

Before the NBA lockout was lifted, he took time to satisfy his passion for designer duds by joining Haute Living for a stylish photo shoot. The all-star forward serves as the cover model for the December/January issue of the magazine. Showing off his impeccable sense of style, Melo covers the publication in a dapper, green velvet tuxedo jacket from Yves Saint Laurent, black Gucci pants, a crisp white Beckenstein Bespoke shirt and a Tom Ford silk bow tie. To complete the look, he accessorized with sunglasses by Vuarnet Vintage and leopard lace-up sneakers and a leopard pocket square, both from Yves Saint Laurent.

In addition to modeling the high-end designs, Melo sat down for an interview with his friend and music producer, Swizz Beats. Below are a few excerpts from the piece regarding his business sense and fashion sense. To read the full article, visit here.

What’s the importance of having business outside of sports?

“It’s all about being smart and knowledgeable about what other business endeavors you want to get [involved] in, not just getting into it because it’s a fun thing to do or your accountant or your business manager brought it to you. You have to really know what you’re getting into. There are deals out there, companies that I could get into but I have no knowledge of the companies so for myself, I like to break it down, see if my brand will fit with that brand. If it does, then we rock out. If it doesn’t then we [can’t] take that risk.”

What does fashion mean to you?

“Fashion depends on the individual, whatever the individual is feeling that day, that’s [his or her] own self, [his or her] own fashion. You [referring to Swizz Beatz] call yourself “The Renaissance Man,” I have a [classic], edgy style but with some new school too. My old uncles, they always tell me I have a ’60s soul. For the most part I wear Yves Saint Laurent, Thom Browne, Simon Spurr. They’re some of the companies that are up-and-coming, some of the edgy companies that I am really rocking right now.”

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