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Olympians Simone Biles and Aly Raisman vault into the style influencer arena

U.S. Olympic athletes Aly Raisman, left, and Simone Biles at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2016.
U.S. Olympic athletes Aly Raisman, left, and Simone Biles at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2016.
(Rebecca Blackwell / AP Photo)
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An Olympic gold medal is the must-have accessory, turning Simone Biles and Aly Raisman into style influencers.

Fashion designers are highlighting the athletes, who between them have won 11 gold, silver and bronze medals at the London and Rio de Janeiro Olympics, for their winning style outside the gymnasium. Sherri Hill has snagged Raisman as a front row guest for her spring show at New York Fashion Week, and Kendra Scott has touted Biles as a fan of her jewelry. The attention from designers heightens the anticipation that the Olympians could procure lucrative fashion and beauty deals.

Hill is accustomed to working with up-and-coming talent. In 2011, she gave Kendall Jenner her first opportunity to walk a runway show. The Austin, Tex.-based designer also featured Sadie Robertson from the reality TV show “Duck Dynasty” as model and collaborator in a line of prom dresses. For her Sept. 12 show at New York’s Gotham Hall, she’s wrangled Robertson, Ireland Baldwin, Katherine McNamara and Mia Moretti in addition to the 22-year-old Raisman as celebrity guests.

Of the “Final Five” from the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, Raisman is enjoying an early lead as a fashion fixture. She’s featured in Aéropostale’s back-to-school denim campaign. She also was savvy enough to give props to Hayley Paige for designing a Champagne-colored minidress that molded her fit physique with beaded flowers at Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards. One photo showing off the dress from the back spurred more than 225,000 likes from her 2.1 million followers on Instagram.

Scott’s team dug into Biles’ Instagram page to find multiple selfies of the 19-year-old donning the $65 version of its Elisa necklace. One snap that she posted earlier this year accumulated more than 30,500 likes from her 3.1 million followers, one of whom told her, “Still obsessed with this outfit.”

The brand, which is also based in Austin, said Biles purchased the piece on her own. In doing so, she joins Lady Gaga in the jewelry designer’s pantheon of celebrities styled in the organic yet delicate pieces. Scott respects Biles for more than being a fashion plate.

“I see so many qualities in her that emulate our brand values,” Scott said. “She cares deeply about her family and her teammates while being fashionable and fearlessly driven. All things that are very Kendra Scott. But the biggest honor of Simone loving our brand is that she is clearly just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.”

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